Te2ft enzyme for enzymatic synthesis of alpha1-2-fucosides

ABSTRACT

α1-2-fucosyltransferases, and methods and compositions for making and using α1-2-fucosyltransferases, are described herein.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a US National Phase Application Under 371 of PCT/US2016/067601 filed Dec. 19, 2016, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/269,574, filed Dec. 18, 2015, each of which is incorporated in its entirety herein for all purposes.

STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

This invention was made with government support under Grant No. HD065122, awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The government has certain rights in the invention.

REFERENCE TO BIOLOGICAL SEQUENCE DISCLOSURE

The instant application contains a Sequence Listing which has been submitted in .txt format via EFS-Web in accordance with 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.821- to 1.825, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. The Sequence Listing written in txt. format is named 076916_1092311_215510US_SequenceListing.TXT, was created on Jun. 11, 2018, and is 18,542 bytes in size.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

L-Fucose is commonly found as a component of glycans in glycoconjugates on mammalian cell surface where they play important functions.^([1]) Among fucose-containing mammalian glycoconjugates in which fucose can be α1-2/3/4/6-linked to galactose (Gal), N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), glucose (Glc), or α-linked to the serine or threonine residues in proteins,^([2]) α1-2-linked fucose is a major structural component of all human histo-blood group ABH antigens and some Lewis antigens such as Lewis b and Lewis y.^([1]) α1-2-Linked fucosides are also abundant in human milk oligosaccharides (HMOS) where they have been found to have prebiotic, antiadhesive antimicrobial, and immunomodulating activities which contribute significantly to the benefits of breast feeding.^([3]) For example, Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni), one of the most common causes of diarrhea worldwide and the primary cause of ascending motor neuron paralysis,^([4]) binds a 1-2-fucosylated blood group H antigens. The fucosides in HMOS can inhibit C. jejuni binding to host cells thereby blocking the infection process.^([4-5])

In humans, FUT1^([6]) is an α1-2-fucosyltransferase (h2FT) responsible for synthesizing the Fucα1-2GalβOR linkage in ABH antigens presented in glycoproteins and glycolipids on red blood cell surface. FUT2,^([7]) also known as the Secretor (Se) transferase, is another h2FT that is responsible for the synthesis of α1-2-fucose-containing glycan structures in body fluids. The lack of FUT2 determines the non-secretor status and the consequent lacking of α1-2-linked fucose in body fluids such as the absence of Fucα1-2Gal-containing structures including 2′-fucosyllactose (2′FL),^([1]) lactodifucotetraose (LDFT), lacto-N-fucopentaose I (LNFP I), and lacto-N-difuco-hexaose I (LNDFH I) in the milk of Le^(a+b−) non-secretors.^([9])

Some bacteria which are often commensals or pathogens of human and animals also have fucosyltransferases that are involved in the synthesis of α1-2-linked fucose-containing lipopolysaccharides (LPSs). Several bacterial α1-2-fucosyltransferases (2FTs) have been cloned, characterized, and used for small-scale synthesis of α1-2-fucosides. These include Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) FutC (or Hp2FT),^([10]) Escherichia coli (E. coli) O86:B7 WbwK,^([11]) E. coli O86:K62:H2 WbnK,^([12]) E. coli O128 WbsJ,^([13]) and E. coli O127:K63(B8) WbiQ. [14] However, their expression levels are usually low which limits their application in synthesis. A more recently characterized E. coli O126 WbgL^([15]) has a reasonable expression level but has a preference towards β1-4-linked galactosides as acceptor substrates. The access to α1-2-fucosylated α1-3-linked galactosides in large scales has been greatly hampered by the lack of an α2FT that can be obtained in large amounts.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, the invention provides a reaction mixture containing an α1-2-fucosyltransferase enzyme having a sequence identity of at least about 62% to the α1-2-fucosyltransferase of SEQ ID NO:1 (Te2FT) and a bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme, or an inorganic pyrophosphatase enzyme, or the combination thereof. In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase enzyme has a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO:1. In some embodiments, the bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme is BfFKP from Bacteroides fragilis strain NCTC9343. In some embodiments, the inorganic pyrophosphatase enzyme is PmPpA from Pasteurella multocida. In certain embodiments, the reaction mixture further comprises guanidine 5′-diphosphate-fucose (GDP-Fucose).

In a second aspect, the invention provides an expression cassette comprising a heterologous promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding an α1-2-fucosyltransferase. In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase has a sequence identity of at least about 62% to SEQ ID NO: 1. In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase comprises high α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity and low donor hydrolysis activity. In certain embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase includes an enzyme having an α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity that is at least 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, or 5-fold more than the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity of GST-WbsJ, His₆Prop-WgbL, and Hp2FT, and wherein the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity is measured as the k_(cat) value for GDP-fucose.

In a third aspect, the invention provides a method of making an α1-2-fucosyltransferase. In some embodiments, the method includes incubating a host cell comprising an expression cassette comprising a heterologous promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding an α1-2-fucosyltransferase having a sequence identity of at least about 62% to SEQ ID NO: 1, in culture media under conditions suitable for producing the α1-2-fucosyltransferase and isolating the α1-2-fucosyltransferase from the host cell or spent media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the amino acid sequence alignment of Te2FT (UniProtKB:Q8DK72, GenBank: BAC08546.1), H. pylori FutC (UniProtKB:A4L7J1), E. coli O127:K63 WbiQ (UniProtKB:Q5J7C6), E. coli O86:K62:H2 WbnK (UniProtKB:Q58YV9), E. coli O128:B12 WbsJ (UniProtKB:Q6XQ53), E. coli O86:B7 WbwK (GenBank:AAO37719.1), and E. coli O126 WbgL (UniProtKB: A6M9C2).

FIG. 2 shows the SDS-PAGE (12% Tris-Glycine gel) analysis of His₆-Te2FT (a) and MBP-Te2FT-His₆ (b) expression and purification. Lanes: M, protein standards; 1, whole cell extraction before induction; 2, whole cell extraction after induction; 3, cell lysate after induction; 4, Ni²⁺-column purified protein.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA used as an acceptor substrate for Te2FT.

FIG. 4 shows the pH profiles of the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity (filled diamond, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA was used as an acceptor substrate) and the GDP-fucose hydrolysis activity (open square) of His₆-Te2FT. In this assay, 15-fold more enzyme and 3-fold longer incubation time were used in the GDP-fucose hydrolysis activity assays than in the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity assays. Buffers used: Citric, pH 3.0-4.0; NaOAc/HOAc, pH 4.5; MES, pH 5.0-6.0; Tris-HCl, pH 7.0-9.0; N-cyclohexyl-3-aminopropanesulfonic acid (CAPS), pH 10.0-11.0.

FIG. 5 shows the effects of divalent metal concentrations (Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺), EDTA, and and DTT (in the presence of 20 mM Mg²⁺) on the fucosyltransferase activity of His₆-Te2FT when Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA was used as an acceptor substrate.

FIG. 6 shows the temperature profile of the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity of His₆-Te2FT when Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA was used as an acceptor substrate.

FIG. 7 shows the activities of His₆-Te2FT with or without lyophilization and rehydration when Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA was used as an acceptor substrate.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram for the one-pot, three-enzyme synthesis of human blood group H antigens from a recombinant BfFKP, PmPpA, and Te2FT.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram for the one-pot, three-enzyme synthesis of lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNFP I) from a recombinant BfFKP, PmPpA, and Te2FT.

FIG. 10 shows schematic diagrams for various Te2FT-catalyzed products from the fucosylation systems of FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show growth of bifidobacterial strains B. infantis (FIG. 11A) and B. lactis (FIG. 11B) on mMRS medium supplemented with 2% (wt/vol) glucose (dotted line), HMOS (dashed line), or LNFP I (solid line).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION I. General

The present invention provides a fucosyltransferase useful for the preparation of fucosylated molecules. In particular, a α1-2-fucosyltransferase from a thermophillic cyanobacterium, Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1 (Te2FT; GenBank Accession No: NP_681784.1 GI: 22298537 encoded by gene tll0994) was demonstrated to possess high fucosyltransferase activity and low donor hydrolysis activity. Te2FT was obtained in high yield, making this enzyme highly desirable for large-scale synthesis of α1-2-fucosylated products. Te2FT was expressed and utilized in a one pot multienzyme (OPME) fucosylation system for high-yield synthesis of human blood group H antigens and a human milk oligosaccahride, lacto-N-fucopentaose I (LNFP I). The surprising superior characteristics of Te2FT as compared to other α1-2-fucosyltransferases is particularly advantageous, allowing for the preparation of a variety of fucose-containing glycoconjugates.

II. Definitions

As used herein, the term “Fucosyltransferase”, refers to a polypeptide that catalyzes the transfer of a fucosyl moiety from a donor substrate to an acceptor or acceptor sugar. The covalent linkage between the fucosyl moiety and the acceptor sugar can be a 1-4 linkage, a 1-3 linkage, a 1-6-linkage, or a 1-2 linkage. The linkage may be in the α- or β-configuration with respect to the anomeric carbon of the monosaccharide. In certain embodiments, the fucosyltransferases useful in the present invention include α1-2-fucosyltransferases (2FTs). In some embodiments, the fucosyltransferases useful in the present invention include those in glycosyltransferase family 11 (GT11) using Carbohydrate-Active enZYme database (CAZy) nomenclature) (see FIG. 1), and in particular Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) FutC (or Hp2FT), Escherichia coli (E. coli) O86:B7 WbwK, E. coli O86:K62:H2 WbnK, E. coli O128 WbsJ, E. coli O127:K63(B8) WbiQ, and E. coli O126 WbgL. In some embodiments, facosyitransferases include, but are not limited to, galactoside 2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferases in family EC 2.4.1.69. In certain embodiments, fucosyltransferases useful in the present invention include FUT1 and FUT2. In one embodiment, the fucosyltransferases useful in the present invention include Dictyostelium discoideum α1-2FT. In some embodiments, a fucosyltransferase useful in the present invention includes Te2FT.

As used herein, the term “donor,” in the context of a fucosyltransferase reaction refers to a compound having a nucleotide and the fucosyl sugar moiety that is added to the acceptor, where the sugar and nucleotide are covalently bound together. The sugar can be fucose or analogs thereof. The nucleotide can be any suitable nucleotide such as guanidine 5′-diphosphate-fucose (GDP)-fucose.

As used herein, the term “donor substrate”, refers to a compound having a nucleotide and a sugar moiety that is added to an acceptor, where the sugar moiety and nucleotide are covalently bound together. In general, the sugar moiety is characterized by monosaccharide core having a linear formula of H(CHOH)_(n)(CO)(CHOH)_(m)H, wherein the sum of n and m is at least 2. In certain embodiments, the sum of n and m is 5. In certain embodiments, n is 5 and m is 0. Any H or OH group in the monosaccharide core can be replaced by an amine group NHR′, wherein R′ is selected from H, alkyl, and acyl. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the monosaccharide core can be in the linear form or in the cyclic, hemiacetal form. The hemiacetal can be a pyranose (i.e., a six-membered ring) or a furanose (i.e., a five-membered ring). In general, the hydroxyl group at the anomeric carbon of the hemiacetal is the point of connection between the sugar moiety and the nucleotide in the donor substrate. The monosaccharide core of the sugar moiety can be substituted with various functional groups as described herein. In certain embodiments, the sugar moiety is fucose or an analog thereof. The nucleotide in the donor substrate can be any suitable nucleotide, such as guanidine-5′-diphosphate (GDP).

As used herein, the term “donor substrate hydrolysis”, refers to hydrolysis of an O-glycosidic bond of the sugar and the phosphate in the nucleotide-sugar donor substrate.

As used herein, the term “acceptor,” in the context of a fucosyltransferase reaction refers to a substance (e.g., a glycosylated amino acid, a glycosylated protein, an oligosaccharide, or a polysaccharide) containing a sugar that accepts a fucosyl moiety from guanidine-5′-diphosphate-fucose (GDP-fucose), or a derivative thereof, during a fucosyltransferase reaction. The sugar of the acceptor glycoside can be a monosaccharide or an oligosaccharide as defined herein. In certain embodiments, the acceptor contains a glucosamine moiety, wherein the hydroxyl group at the anomeric carbon of the glucopyranose ring is the point of connection to the remainder of the glycoside. In some embodiments, the glucosamine moiety is an α-linked N-acetylglucosamine moiety. In certain embodiments, the acceptor contains a β1-3-linked glycoside, such as a β1-3-linked galactoside. In some embodiments, suitable acceptor substrates include, but are not limited to, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ2AA, and Galβ1-4Glcβ2AA. In certain embodiments, suitable acceptor substrates include, but are not limited to, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβOR, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαOR, Galβ1-3GalNAcαOR, and Galβ1-3GalNAcβOR. In some embodiments, suitable acceptors of the invention include but are not limited to, Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃ and lacto-N-tetraose.

As used herein, the term “pyrophosphatase”, (abbreviated as PpA) refers to a polypeptide that catalyzes the conversion of pyrophosphate (i.e., P₂O₇ ⁴⁻, HP₂O₇ ³⁻, H₂P₂O₇ ²⁻, H₃P₂O₇) to two molar equivalents of inorganic phosphate (i.e., PO₄ ³⁻, HPO₄ ²⁻, H₂PO₄).

As used herein, the term “nucleotide,” in addition to referring to the naturally occurring ribonucleotide or deoxyribonucleotide monomers, shall herein be understood to refer to related structural variants thereof, including derivatives and analogs, that are functionally equivalent with respect to the particular context in which the nucleotide is being used (e.g., hybridization to a complementary base), unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

As used herein, the term “amino acid”, refers to any monomeric unit that can be incorporated into a peptide, polypeptide, or protein. As used herein, the term “amino acid” includes the following twenty natural or genetically encoded alpha-amino acids: alanine (Ala or A), arginine (Arg or R), asparagine (Asn or N), aspartic acid (Asp or D), cysteine (Cys or C), glutamine (Gln or Q), glutamic acid (Glu or E), glycine (Gly or G), histidine (H is or H), isoleucine (Ile or I), leucine (Leu or L), lysine (Lys or K), methionine (Met or M), phenylalanine (Phe or F), proline (Pro or P), serine (Ser or S), threonine (Thr or T), tryptophan (Trp or W), tyrosine (Tyr or Y), and valine (Val or V). In cases where “X” residues are undefined, these should be defined as “any amino acid.” The structures of these twenty natural amino acids are shown in, e.g., Stryer et al., Biochemistry, 5th ed., Freeman and Company (2002), which is incorporated by reference. Additional amino acids, such as selenocysteine and pyrrolysine, can also be genetically coded for (Stadtman (1996) “Selenocysteine,” Annu Rev Biochem. 65:83-100 and Ibba et al. (2002) “Genetic code: introducing pyrrolysine,” Curr Biol. 12(13):R464-R466, which are both incorporated by reference). The term “amino acid” also includes unnatural amino acids, modified amino acids (e.g., having modified side chains and/or backbones), and amino acid analogs.

As used herein, the term “polypeptide,” “peptide,” and “protein”, are used interchangeably herein to refer to a polymer of amino acid residues. All three teams apply to amino acid polymers in which one or more amino acid residue is an artificial chemical mimetic of a corresponding naturally occurring amino acid, as well as to naturally occurring amino acid polymers and non-natural amino acid polymers. As used herein, the terms encompass amino acid chains of any length, including full-length proteins, wherein the amino acid residues are linked by covalent peptide bonds.

As used herein, the term “nucleic acid” or “polynucleotide”, refers to a polymer that can be corresponded to a ribose nucleic acid (RNA) or deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) polymer, or an analog thereof. This includes polymers of nucleotides such as RNA and DNA, as well as synthetic forms, modified (e.g., chemically or biochemically modified) forms thereof, and mixed polymers (e.g., including both RNA and DNA subunits). Exemplary modifications include methylation, substitution of one or more of the naturally occurring nucleotides with an analog, internucleotide modifications such as uncharged linkages (e.g., methyl phosphonates, phosphotriesters, phosphoamidates, carbamates, and the like), pendent moieties (e.g., polypeptides), intercalators (e.g., acridine, psoralen, and the like), chelators, alkylators, and modified linkages (e.g., alpha anomeric nucleic acids and the like). Also included are synthetic molecules that mimic polynucleotides in their ability to bind to a designated sequence via hydrogen bonding and other chemical interactions. Typically, the nucleotide monomers are linked via phosphodiester bonds, although synthetic forms of nucleic acids can comprise other linkages (e.g., peptide nucleic acids as described in Nielsen et al. (Science 254:1497-1500, 1991). A nucleic acid can be or can include, e.g., a chromosome or chromosomal segment, a vector (e.g., an expression vector), an expression cassette, a naked DNA or RNA polymer, the product of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), an oligonucleotide, a probe, and a primer. A nucleic acid can be, e.g., single-stranded, double-stranded, or triple-stranded and is not limited to any particular length. Unless otherwise indicated, a particular nucleic acid sequence comprises or encodes complementary sequences, in addition to any sequence explicitly indicated.

As used herein, the term “mutant,” in the context of fucosyltransferases of the present invention, means a polypeptide, typically recombinant, that comprises one or more amino acid substitutions relative to a corresponding, naturally-occurring or unmodified fucosyltransferase, such as an α1-2 fucosyltransferase.

As used herein, a nucleic acid is “operably linked”, when it is placed into a functional relationship with another nucleic acid sequence. For example, a promoter or enhancer is operably linked to a coding sequence if it affects the transcription of the sequence; or a ribosome binding site is operably linked to a coding sequence if it is positioned so as to facilitate translation.

As used herein, the terms “identical” or percent “identity,” in the context of describing two or more polynucleotide or amino acid sequences, refer to two or more sequences or subsequences that are the same or have a specified percentage of amino acid residues or nucleotides that are the same. For example, a sequence can have at least 80% identity, preferably 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% identity, to a reference sequence when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence over a comparison window, or designated region as measured using a sequence comparison algorithm or by manual alignment and visual inspection. Such sequences are then said to be “substantially identical.” With regard to polynucleotide sequences, this definition also refers to the complement of a test sequence. With regard to amino acid sequences, preferably, the identity exists over a region that is at least about 50 amino acids or nucleotides in length, or more preferably over a region that is 75-100 amino acids or nucleotides in length, or most preferably over the entirety of the query molecule, e.g., all 293 amino acids of SEQ ID NO: 1.

As used herein, the term “percent sequence identity”, is determined by comparing two optimally aligned sequences over a comparison window, wherein the portion of the sequence in the comparison window can comprise additions or deletions (i.e., gaps) as compared to the reference sequence (which does not comprise additions or deletions) for optimal alignment of the two sequences. The percentage is calculated by determining the number of positions at which the identical nucleic acid base or amino acid residue occurs in both sequences to yield the number of matched positions, dividing the number of matched positions by the total number of positions in the window of comparison and multiplying the result by 100 to yield the percentage of sequence identity.

As used herein, the term “similarity”, or “percent similarity,” in the context of two or more polypeptide sequences, refer to two or more sequences or subsequences that have a specified percentage of amino acid residues that are either the same or similar as defined by a conservative amino acid substitutions (e.g., 60% similarity, optionally 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% similar over a specified region), when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence over a comparison window, or designated region as measured using one of the following sequence comparison algorithms or by manual alignment and visual inspection. Sequences are “substantially similar” to each other if they are at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, or at least 55% similar to each other. Optionally, this similarly exists over a region that is at least about 50 amino acids in length, or more preferably over a region that is 75-100 amino acids in length, or most preferably over the entirety of the query molecule, e.g., all 293 amino acids of SEQ ID NO:1.

For sequence comparison, typically one sequence acts as a reference sequence, to which test sequences are compared. When using a sequence comparison algorithm, test and reference sequences are entered into a computer, subsequence coordinates are designated, if necessary, and sequence algorithm program parameters are designated. Default program parameters are commonly used, or alternative parameters can be designated. The sequence comparison algorithm then calculates the percent sequence identities or similarities for the test sequences relative to the reference sequence, based on the program parameters.

As used herein, a “comparison window”, includes reference to a segment of any one of the number of contiguous positions selected from the group consisting of from 20 to 600, usually about 50 to about 200, more usually about 100 to about 150 in which a sequence may be compared to a reference sequence of the same number of contiguous positions after the two sequences are optimally aligned. Methods of alignment of sequences for comparison are well known in the art. Optimal alignment of sequences for comparison can be conducted, for example, by the local homology algorithm of Smith and Waterman (Adv. Appl. Math. 2:482, 1970), by the homology alignment algorithm of Needleman and Wunsch (J. Mol. Biol. 48:443, 1970), by the search for similarity method of Pearson and Lipman (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:2444, 1988), by computerized implementations of these algorithms (e.g., GAP, BESTFIT, FASTA, and TFASTA in the Wisconsin Genetics Software Package, Genetics Computer Group, 575 Science Dr., Madison, Wis.), or by manual alignment and visual inspection (see, e.g., Ausubel et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology (1995 supplement)).

Algorithms suitable for determining percent sequence identity and sequence similarity are the BLAST and BLAST 2.0 algorithms, which are described in Altschul et al. (Nuc. Acids Res. 25:3389-402, 1977), and Altschul et al. (J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-10, 1990), respectively. Software for performing BLAST analyses is publicly available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). This algorithm involves first identifying high scoring sequence pairs (HSPs) by identifying short words of length W in the query sequence, which either match or satisfy some positive-valued threshold score T when aligned with a word of the same length in a database sequence. T is referred to as the neighborhood word score threshold (Altschul et al., supra). These initial neighborhood word hits act as seeds for initiating searches to find longer HSPs containing them. The word hits are extended in both directions along each sequence for as far as the cumulative alignment score can be increased. Cumulative scores are calculated using, for nucleotide sequences, the parameters M (reward score for a pair of matching residues; always >0) and N (penalty score for mismatching residues; always <0). For amino acid sequences, a scoring matrix is used to calculate the cumulative score. Extension of the word hits in each direction are halted when: the cumulative alignment score falls off by the quantity X from its maximum achieved value; the cumulative score goes to zero or below, due to the accumulation of one or more negative-scoring residue alignments; or the end of either sequence is reached. The BLAST algorithm parameters W, T, and X determine the sensitivity and speed of the alignment. The BLASTN program (for nucleotide sequences) uses as defaults a wordlength (W) of 11, an expectation (E) or 10, M=5, N=−4 and a comparison of both strands. For amino acid sequences, the BLASTP program uses as defaults a wordlength of 3, and expectation (E) of 10, and the BLOSUM62 scoring matrix (see Henikoff and Henikoff, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:10915, 1989) alignments (B) of 50, expectation (E) of 10, M=5, N=−4, and a comparison of both strands.

The BLAST algorithm also performs a statistical analysis of the similarity between two sequences (see, e.g., Karlin and Altschul, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:5873-87, 1993). One measure of similarity provided by the BLAST algorithm is the smallest sum probability (P(N)), which provides an indication of the probability by which a match between two nucleotide or amino acid sequences would occur by chance. For example, a nucleic acid is considered similar to a reference sequence if the smallest sum probability in a comparison of the test nucleic acid to the reference nucleic acid is less than about 0.2, typically less than about 0.01, and more typically less than about 0.001.

As used herein, the term “recombinant,” refers to an amino acid sequence or a nucleotide sequence that has been intentionally modified by recombinant methods. By the term “recombinant nucleic acid” herein is meant a nucleic acid, originally formed in vitro, in general, by the manipulation of a nucleic acid by endonucleases, in a form not normally found in nature. Thus an isolated, mutant fucosyltransferase nucleic acid, in a linear form, or an expression vector formed in vitro by ligating DNA molecules that are not normally joined, are both considered recombinant for the purposes of this invention. It is understood that once a recombinant nucleic acid is made and reintroduced into a host cell, it will replicate non-recombinantly, i.e., using the in vivo cellular machinery of the host cell rather than in vitro manipulations; however, such nucleic acids, once produced recombinantly, although subsequently replicated non-recombinantly, are still considered recombinant for the purposes of the invention. A “recombinant protein” is a protein made using recombinant techniques, i.e., through the expression of a recombinant nucleic acid as depicted above.

As used herein, “heterologous”, refers to two or more compositions (e.g., polynucleotides, proteins, cells, etc.) that are not found together in nature. In the context of promoters operably linked to a polynucleotide, a “heterologous promoter” refers to a promoter that would not be so operably linked to the same polynucleotide as found in a product of nature (i.e., in a wild-type organism). In the context of two or more proteins, a “heterologous protein” or enzyme refers to a protein or enzyme that does not naturally exist in, or is not naturally produced by, the same organism.

As used herein, the term “vector”, refers to a piece of DNA, typically double-stranded, which may have inserted into it a piece of foreign DNA. The vector may be, for example, of plasmid origin. Vectors contain “replicon” polynucleotide sequences that facilitate the autonomous replication of the vector in a host cell. Foreign DNA is defined as heterologous DNA, which is DNA not naturally found in the host cell, which, for example, replicates the vector molecule, encodes a selectable or screenable marker, or encodes a transgene. The vector is used to transport the foreign or heterologous DNA into a suitable host cell. Once in the host cell, the vector can replicate independently of or coincidental with the host chromosomal DNA, and several copies of the vector and its inserted DNA can be generated. In addition, the vector can also contain the necessary elements that permit transcription of the inserted DNA into an mRNA molecule or otherwise cause replication of the inserted DNA into multiple copies of RNA. Some expression vectors (i.e., expression cassettes) additionally contain sequence elements adjacent to the inserted DNA that increase the half-life of the expressed mRNA and/or allow translation of the mRNA into a protein molecule. Many molecules of mRNA and polypeptide encoded by the inserted DNA can thus be rapidly synthesized.

As used herein, the term “forming a reaction mixture”, or “reaction mixture”, refers to the process of bringing into contact at least two distinct species such that they mix together and can react, either modifying one of the initial reactants or forming a third, distinct, species, a product. It should be appreciated, however, the resulting reaction product can be produced directly from a reaction between the added reagents or from an intermediate from one or more of the added reagents which can be produced in the reaction mixture.

As used herein, the term “oligosaccharide”, refers to a compound containing at least two sugars covalently linked together. Oligosaccharides include disaccharides, trisaccharides, tetrasachharides, pentasaccharides, hexasaccharides, heptasaccharides, octasaccharides, and the like. Covalent linkages for linking sugars generally consist of glycosidic linkages (i.e., C—O—C bonds) formed from the hydroxyl groups of adjacent sugars. Linkages can occur between the 1-carbon (the anomeric carbon) and the 4-carbon of adjacent sugars (i.e., a 1-4 linkage), the 1-carbon (the anomeric carbon) and the 3-carbon of adjacent sugars (i.e., a 1-3 linkage), the 1-carbon (the anomeric carbon) and the 6-carbon of adjacent sugars (i.e., a 1-6 linkage), or the 1-carbon (the anomeric carbon) and the 2-carbon of adjacent sugars (i.e., a 1-2 linkage). A sugar can be linked within an oligosaccharide such that the anomeric carbon is in the α- or β-configuration. The oligosaccharides prepared according to the methods of the invention can also include linkages between carbon atoms other than the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 6-carbons.

As used herein, the term “BfFKP”, or “bifunctional L-fucokinase GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase”, refers to a polypeptide having both L-fucokinase and GDP-L-Fuc pyrophosphorylase activity. Fucosyltransferases catalyze the transfer of fucose, or analogs thereof, from a fucose-donor substrate to the terminal sugar of an acceptor substrate. Representative fucosyltransferases include, but are not limited to, galactoside 2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferases in family EC 2.4.1.69. In certain embodiments, BfFKP's can generate GDP-L-Fuc from L-Fuc, ATP, and GTP as the starting substrates. Recombinant forms of BfFKP are well known in the art, such as the recombinant form identified in Arabidposis, designated AtFKGP (see., Kotake et al., JBC, 2008, 8125-8135).

As used herein, the term “glycoconjugate”, refers to a carbohydrate covalently linked with other chemical species such as proteins, lipids, sachharides. Examples of glycoconjugates include, but are not limited to, glycoproteins, glycopeptides, peptidoglycans, glycolipids, glycosides and lipopolysaccharides. A glycoconjugate is formed by an enzymatic reaction, termed glycosylation. A glycoside refers to a sugar molecule, such as fucose, bound through its anomeric carbon to another group via a glycosidic bond. An example of a glycoside is one formed by an Te2FT-catalyzed reaction. In certain embodiments, a glycoconjugate of the instant invention includes, but is not limited to, α1-2fucosides. In some embodiments, a glycoconjugate of the instant invention includes, but is not limited to, Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃, Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, and Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃. In one embodiment, a glycoconjugate of the instant invention includes, but is not limited to, lacto-N-fucopentaose I.

As used herein, “acceptor glycoconjugate”, refers to a carbohydrate that accepts a sugar moiety from a donor substrate. In certain embodiments, the acceptor glycoconjugate contains a galactoside moiety, wherein the hydroxyl group at the anomeric carbon of the galactopyranose ring is the point of connection to the remainder of the glycoconjugate. In some embodiments, the galactoside moiety is a β1-4-linked galactoside moiety or a β1-3-linked galactoside moiety. In some embodiments, the acceptor glycoconjugate comprises a Galβ1-3GlcNAc moiety, or a Galβ1-3GalNAc moiety. In one embodiment, an acceptor glycoconjugate of the instant invention includes, but is not limited to, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ2AA, and Galβ1-4Glcβ2AA. In some embodiments, an acceptor glycoconjugate of the instant invention includes, but is not limited to, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβOR, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαOR, Galβ1-3GalNAcαOR, and Galβ1-3GalNAcβOR. In one embodiment, an acceptor glycoconjugate of the instant invention includes, but is not limited to, Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃ or lacto-N-tetraose.

III. Fucosyltransferases

Fucosyltransferases are one class of glycosyltransferases, enzymes that catalyze the transfer of a sugar from a nucleotide-sugar (donor substrate) to an acceptor (e.g., a natural product, a monosaccharide, an oligosaccharide, a glycolipid, a glycoprotein, or a hydroxyl-containing compounds). Specifically, fucosyltransferases catalyze the transfer of fucose, or analogs thereof, from a fucose-donor substrate to the terminal sugar of an acceptor substrate. Representative fucosyltransferases include, but are not limited to, galactoside 2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferases in family EC 2.4.1.69. The fucosyltransferases of the present invention also include those of the CAZy GT11 family, or EC 2.4.1.69 made up of α1-2 fucosyltransferases. Representative GT11 fucosyltransferases include, but are not limited to, Te2FT, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) FutC (or Hp2FT), Escherichia coli (E. coli) O86:B7 WbwK, E. coli O86:K62:H2 WbnK, E. coli O128 WbsJ, E. coli O127:K63(B8) WbiQ, and E. coli O126 WbgL. The fucosyltransferases of the present invention also include FUT1, FUT2, FUT4, FUT6 and Dictyostelium discoideum α1-2FT (See Vries et al., Glycobiology, 2001, 11, 119R-128R for a review of fucosyltransferases). Te2FT is a preferred fucosyltransferase in some embodiments of the invention.

In general, the fucosyltransferases of the present invention are α1-2-fucosyltransferases. The α1-2-fucosyltransferases of the present invention can include fucosyltransferases of Thermosynechococcus elongatus. The fucosyltransferases include those having increased α1-2 fucosylase activity compared to a control α1-2-fucosyltransferase (e.g., E. coli O86:K62:H2 Wbnk, E. coli Wbsj or E. coli O127:K63(B8) WbiQ). The fucosyltransferases include those having decreased hydrolytic activity on donor substrates compared to the hydrolytic activity observed with other α1-2-fucosyltransferases on donor substrates (e.g., GDP-fucose). α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity, in particular, refers to the cleavage of the glycosidic bond between the fucose moiety from the donor substrate and the sugar of the acceptor molecule. For certain fucosyltransferases, this activity is low enough that it limits their application in large-scale synthesis.

The fucosyltransferases of the present invention can include a polypeptide having any suitable percent identity to a reference sequence (e.g., SEQ ID NO: 1). For example, the fucosyltransferases of the present invention can include a polypeptide having a percent sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1 of at least 20, 30, 40, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or at least 99%. In some embodiments, percent sequence identity can be at least 80%. In some embodiments, percent sequence identity can be at least 90%. In some embodiments, percent sequence identity can be at least 95%. In some embodiments, the fucosyltransferase has a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO: 1. In some embodiments, the invention provides an isolated or purified polypeptide including an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 1 (Te2FT), His₆-Te2FT, and MBP-Te2FT-His₆.

The precise length of the fucosyltransferases can vary, and certain variants can be advantageous for expression and purification of the enzymes with high yields. For example, removal of certain peptide subunits from the overall polypeptide sequence of a fucosyltransferase can improve solubility of the enzyme and increase expression levels. Alternatively, addition of certain peptide or protein subunits to a fucosyltransferase polypeptide sequence can modulate expression, solubility, activity, or other properties. The fucosyltransferases of the present invention can include point mutations at any position of the Te2FT sequence (i.e., SEQ ID NO:1) or a Te2FT variant (e.g., a fusion protein or a truncated form). The mutants can include any suitable amino acid other than the native amino acid. For example, the amino acid can be V, I, L, M, F, W, P, S, T, A, G, C, Y, N, Q, D, E, K, R, or H. Amino acid and nucleic acid sequence alignment programs are readily available (see, e.g., those referred to supra) and, given the particular motifs identified herein, serve to assist in the identification of the exact amino acids (and corresponding codons) for modification in accordance with the present invention.

The fucosyltransferases of the present invention can be constructed by mutating the DNA sequences that encode the corresponding unmodified fucosyltransferase (e.g., a wild-type fucosyltransferase such as SEQ ID NO: 1 or a corresponding variant), such as by using techniques commonly referred to as site-directed mutagenesis. Nucleic acid molecules encoding the unmodified form of the fucosyltransferase can be mutated by a variety of techniques well-known to one of ordinary skill in the art. (See, e.g., PCR Strategies (M. A. Innis, D. H. Gelfand, and J. J. Sninsky eds., 1995, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif.) at Chapter 14; PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications (M. A. Innis, D. H. Gelfand, J. J. Sninsky, and T. J. White eds., Academic Press, N Y, 1990).

By way of non-limiting example, the two primer system, utilized in the Transformer Site-Directed Mutagenesis kit from Clontech, may be employed for introducing site-directed mutants into a polynucleotide encoding an unmodified form of the fucosyltransferase. Following denaturation of the target plasmid in this system, two primers are simultaneously annealed to the plasmid; one of these primers contains the desired site-directed mutation, the other contains a mutation at another point in the plasmid resulting in elimination of a restriction site. Second strand synthesis is then carried out, tightly linking these two mutations, and the resulting plasmids are transformed into a mutS strain of E. coli. Plasmid DNA is isolated from the transformed bacteria, restricted with the relevant restriction enzyme (thereby linearizing the unmutated plasmids), and then retransformed into E. coli. This system allows for generation of mutations directly in an expression plasmid, without the necessity of subcloning or generation of single-stranded phagemids. The tight linkage of the two mutations and the subsequent linearization of unmutated plasmids result in high mutation efficiency and allow minimal screening. Following synthesis of the initial restriction site primer, this method requires the use of only one new primer type per mutation site. Rather than prepare each positional mutant separately, a set of “designed degenerate” oligonucleotide primers can be synthesized in order to introduce all of the desired mutations at a given site simultaneously. Mutagenesis can also be conducted using a QuikChange multisite-directed mutagenesis kit (Stratagene) and the like. Transformants can be screened by sequencing the plasmid DNA through the mutagenized region to identify and sort mutant clones. Each mutant DNA can then be restricted and analyzed by electrophoresis, such as for example, on a Mutation Detection Enhancement gel (Mallinckrodt Baker, Inc., Phillipsburg, N.J.) to confirm that no other alterations in the sequence have occurred (by band shift comparison to the unmutagenized control). Alternatively, the entire DNA region can be sequenced to confirm that no additional mutational events have occurred outside of the targeted region.

Verified mutant duplexes in pET (or other) overexpression vectors can be employed to transform E. coli such as, e.g., strain E. coli BL21 (DE3) or strain E. coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS, for high level production of the mutant protein, and purification by standard protocols. The method of FAB-MS mapping, for example, can be employed to rapidly check the fidelity of mutant expression. This technique provides for sequencing segments throughout the whole protein and provides the necessary confidence in the sequence assignment. In a mapping experiment of this type, protein is digested with a protease (the choice will depend on the specific region to be modified since this segment is of prime interest and the remaining map should be identical to the map of unmutated protein). The set of cleavage fragments is fractionated by, for example, HPLC (reversed phase or ion exchange, again depending on the specific region to be modified) to provide several peptides in each fraction, and the molecular weights of the peptides are determined by standard methods, such as FAB-MS. The determined mass of each fragment are then compared to the molecular weights of peptides expected from the digestion of the predicted sequence, and the correctness of the sequence quickly ascertained. Since this mutagenesis approach to protein modification is directed, sequencing of the altered peptide should not be necessary if the MS data agrees with prediction. If necessary to verify a changed residue, CAD-tandem MS/MS can be employed to sequence the peptides of the mixture in question, or the target peptide can be purified for subtractive Edman degradation or carboxypeptidase Y digestion depending on the location of the modification.

IV. Bifunctional L-Fucokinase/GDP-Fucose Pyrophosphorylases

Bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylases (BfFKP) are a class of enzymes that catalyze two steps of the L-fucose salvage pathway for the generation of activated GDP-L-fucose L-fucokinase (EC 2.7.1.52 fucokinase) catalyzes the phosphorylation of L-fucose to form L-fucose 1-phosphate (Ishihara et al., J. Biol. Chem., 1968, 243, 1103-1109). This enzyme is the first enzyme in the utilization of free L-fucose in glycoconjugate synthesis. L-fucokinase has substrate specificity for L-fucose and ATP. GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.30 fucose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase) catalyzes the condensation of guanosine triphosphate and L-fucose 1-phosphate to form GDP-L-fucose (Ishihara and Heath, J. Biol. Chem., 1968, 243, 1110-1115). GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase has substrate specificity for L-fucose 1-phosphate and GTP. BfFKP mutants have been observed to have about forty times more L-fucose than wild-type Arabidopsis plants, but the levels of other monosaccharides do not appear to differ significantly (see Kotake et al, supra). Accordingly, representative BfFKP's of the instant invention include, but are not limited to, fucokinases in family EC 2.7.1.52 and fucose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferases in family EC 2.7.7.30. BfFKPs of the present invention also include, but are not limited to, AtFKGP (Arabidopsis thaliana). In one embodiment, BfFKP from Bacteroides fragilis strain NCTC 9343 is a preferred BfFKP of the invention.

The BfFKPs of the present invention can include a polypeptide having any suitable percent identity to a reference sequence (e.g., SEQ ID NO:2). For example, the BfFKP of the present invention can include a polypeptide having a percent sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:2 of at least 20, 30, 40, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or at least 99% as long as the polypeptide retains the ability to catalyze the phosphorylation of L-fucose and condensation thereof, with GTP to form GDP-L-fucose. In some embodiments, percent sequence identity can be at least 80%. In some embodiments, percent sequence identity can be at least 90%. In some embodiments, percent sequence identity can be at least 95%. In some embodiments, the BfFKP has a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO: 2. In some embodiments, the invention provides an isolated or purified polypeptide including an amino acid sequence such as SEQ ID NO:2 (His₆-BfFKP, where the His tag is underlined).

The precise length of the BfFKP can vary, and certain variants can be advantageous for expression and purification of the enzymes with high yields. For example, removal of certain peptide subunits from the overall polypeptide sequence of a BfFKP can improve solubility of the enzyme and increase expression levels. Alternatively, addition of certain peptide or protein subunits to a BfFKP polypeptide sequence can modulate expression, solubility, activity, or other properties (see Kotake et al., supra). The BfFKP of the present invention can include point mutations at any position of the BfFKP sequence (i.e., SEQ ID NO:2) or a BfFKP variant (e.g., a fusion protein or a truncated form). The mutants can include any suitable amino acid other than the native amino acid. For example, the amino acid can be V, I, L, M, F, W, P, S, T, A, G, C, Y, N, Q, D, E, K, R, or H. Amino acid and nucleic acid sequence alignment programs are readily available (see, e.g., those referred to supra) and, given the particular motifs identified herein, serve to assist in the identification of the exact amino acids (and corresponding codons) for modification in accordance with the present invention.

The BfFKP's of the present invention can be constructed by mutating the DNA sequences that encode the corresponding unmodified BfFKP (e.g., a BfFKP such as SEQ ID NO:4 or a corresponding variant; SEQ ID NO: 4 contains a His tag, which is underlined), such as by using techniques commonly referred to as site-directed mutagenesis. Nucleic acid molecules encoding the unmodified form of the BfFKP can be mutated by a variety of techniques well-known to one of ordinary skill in the art. (See, e.g., PCR Strategies (M. A. Innis, D. H. Gelfand, and J. J. Sninsky eds., 1995, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif.) at Chapter 14; PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications (M. A. Innis, D. H. Gelfand, J. J. Sninsky, and T. J. White eds., Academic Press, N Y, 1990).

By way of non-limiting example, the two primer system, utilized in the Transformer Site-Directed Mutagenesis kit from Clontech, may be employed for introducing site-directed mutants into a polynucleotide encoding an unmodified form of the BfFKP. Following denaturation of the target plasmid in this system, two primers are simultaneously annealed to the plasmid; one of these primers contains the desired site-directed mutation, the other contains a mutation at another point in the plasmid resulting in elimination of a restriction site. Second strand synthesis is then carried out, tightly linking these two mutations, and the resulting plasmids are transformed into a mutS strain of E. coli. Plasmid DNA is isolated from the transformed bacteria, restricted with the relevant restriction enzyme (thereby linearizing the unmutated plasmids), and then retransformed into E. coli. This system allows for generation of mutations directly in an expression plasmid, without the necessity of subcloning or generation of single-stranded phagemids. The tight linkage of the two mutations and the subsequent linearization of unmutated plasmids result in high mutation efficiency and allow minimal screening. Following synthesis of the initial restriction site primer, this method requires the use of only one new primer type per mutation site. Rather than prepare each positional mutant separately, a set of “designed degenerate” oligonucleotide primers can be synthesized in order to introduce all of the desired mutations at a given site simultaneously. Mutagenesis can also be conducted using a QuikChange multisite-directed mutagenesis kit (Stratagene) and the like. Transformants can be screened by sequencing the plasmid DNA through the mutagenized region to identify and sort mutant clones. Each mutant DNA can then be restricted and analyzed by electrophoresis, such as for example, on a Mutation Detection Enhancement gel (Mallinckrodt Baker, Inc., Phillipsburg, N.J.) to confirm that no other alterations in the sequence have occurred (by band shift comparison to the unmutagenized control). Alternatively, the entire DNA region can be sequenced to confirm that no additional mutational events have occurred outside of the targeted region.

Verified mutant duplexes in pET (or other) overexpression vectors can be employed to transform E. coli such as, e.g., strain E. coli BL21 (DE3) or strain E. coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS, for high level production of the mutant protein, and purification by standard protocols. The method of FAB-MS mapping, for example, can be employed to rapidly check the fidelity of mutant expression. This technique provides for sequencing segments throughout the whole protein and provides the necessary confidence in the sequence assignment. In a mapping experiment of this type, protein is digested with a protease (the choice will depend on the specific region to be modified since this segment is of prime interest and the remaining map should be identical to the map of unmutated protein). The set of cleavage fragments is fractionated by, for example, HPLC (reversed phase or ion exchange, again depending on the specific region to be modified) to provide several peptides in each fraction, and the molecular weights of the peptides are determined by standard methods, such as FAB-MS. The determined mass of each fragment are then compared to the molecular weights of peptides expected from the digestion of the predicted sequence, and the correctness of the sequence quickly ascertained. Since this mutagenesis approach to protein modification is directed, sequencing of the altered peptide should not be necessary if the MS data agrees with prediction. If necessary to verify a changed residue, CAD-tandem MS/MS can be employed to sequence the peptides of the mixture in question, or the target peptide can be purified for subtractive Edman degradation or carboxypeptidase Y digestion depending on the location of the modification.

V. PmPpA Enzyme

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (PpA) is a member if the Ppase family (EC 3.6.1.1 inorganic diphosphatase). PpA is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of one molecule of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) to two phosphate ions (2Pi). PpAs have been sequenced from bacteria such as Escherichia coli (homohexamer), Bacillus PS3 (Thermophilic bacterium PS-3), Pasteurella multocida and Thermus thermophilus, from the archaebacteria Thermoplasma acidophilum, from fungi (homodimer), from plants (Oryza sativa subsp. japonica and Arabidopsis thaliana) and from bovine retina. In yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe), a mitochondrial isoform of PpA has been characterized. The sequences of PpAs share regions of similarities, among which is a region that contains three conserved aspartates that are involved in the binding of cations. Accordingly, representative PpAs of the instant invention include, but are not limited to, PpAs of family EC 3.6.1.1. In one embodiment, PmPpA from Pasteurella multocida is a preferred PmPpA of the invention (see, Lau K, Thon V, Yu H, Ding L, Chen Y, Muthana M M, Wong D, Huang R, and Chen X. Chem. Commun. 2010, 46, 6066-6068).

The PmPpAs of the present invention can include a polypeptide having any suitable percent identity to a reference sequence (e.g., SEQ ID NO:3). For example, the PmPpA of the present invention can include a polypeptide having a percent sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:3 of at least 20, 30, 40, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or at least 99%. In some embodiments, percent sequence identity can be at least 80%. In some embodiments, percent sequence identity can be at least 90%. In some embodiments, percent sequence identity can be at least 95%. In some embodiments, the PpA has a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO: 3. In some embodiments, the invention provides an isolated or purified polypeptide including an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NO:3 (PmPpA-His₆₆, His tag is underlined).

The precise length of the PmPpA can vary, and certain variants can be advantageous for expression and purification of the enzymes with high yields. For example, removal of certain peptide subunits from the overall polypeptide sequence of a PmPpA can improve solubility of the enzyme and increase expression levels. Alternatively, addition of certain peptide or protein subunits to a PmPpA polypeptide sequence can modulate expression, solubility, activity, or other properties. The PmPpA's of the present invention can include point mutations at any position of the PmPpA sequence (i.e., SEQ ID NO:3) or a PmPpA variant (e.g., a fusion protein or a truncated form). The mutants can include any suitable amino acid other than the native amino acid. For example, the amino acid can be V, I, L, M, F, W, P, S, T, A, G, C, Y, N, Q, D, E, K, R, or H. Amino acid and nucleic acid sequence alignment programs are readily available (see, e.g., those referred to supra) and, given the particular motifs identified herein, serve to assist in the identification of the exact amino acids (and corresponding codons) for modification in accordance with the present invention.

The PmPpAs of the present invention can be constructed by mutating the DNA sequences that encode the corresponding unmodified PmPpA (e.g., a wild-type PmPpA such as SEQ ID NO:5 or a corresponding variant), such as by using techniques commonly referred to as site-directed mutagenesis. Nucleic acid molecules encoding the unmodified form of the PmPpA can be mutated by a variety of techniques well-known to one of ordinary skill in the art. (See, e.g., PCR Strategies (M. A. Innis, D. H. Gelfand, and J. J. Sninsky eds., 1995, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif.) at Chapter 14; PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications (M. A. Innis, D. H. Gelfand, J. J. Sninsky, and T. J. White eds., Academic Press, N Y, 1990).

By way of non-limiting example, the two primer system, utilized in the Transformer Site-Directed Mutagenesis kit from Clontech, may be employed for introducing site-directed mutants into a polynucleotide encoding an unmodified form of the PmPpA. Following denaturation of the target plasmid in this system, two primers are simultaneously annealed to the plasmid; one of these primers contains the desired site-directed mutation, the other contains a mutation at another point in the plasmid resulting in elimination of a restriction site. Second strand synthesis is then carried out, tightly linking these two mutations, and the resulting plasmids are transformed into a mutS strain of E. coli. Plasmid DNA is isolated from the transformed bacteria, restricted with the relevant restriction enzyme (thereby linearizing the unmutated plasmids), and then retransformed into E. coli. This system allows for generation of mutations directly in an expression plasmid, without the necessity of subcloning or generation of single-stranded phagemids. The tight linkage of the two mutations and the subsequent linearization of unmutated plasmids result in high mutation efficiency and allow minimal screening. Following synthesis of the initial restriction site primer, this method requires the use of only one new primer type per mutation site. Rather than prepare each positional mutant separately, a set of “designed degenerate” oligonucleotide primers can be synthesized in order to introduce all of the desired mutations at a given site simultaneously. Mutagenesis can also be conducted using a QuikChange multisite-directed mutagenesis kit (Stratagene) and the like. Transformants can be screened by sequencing the plasmid DNA through the mutagenized region to identify and sort mutant clones. Each mutant DNA can then be restricted and analyzed by electrophoresis, such as for example, on a Mutation Detection Enhancement gel (Mallinckrodt Baker, Inc., Phillipsburg, N.J.) to confirm that no other alterations in the sequence have occurred (by band shift comparison to the unmutagenized control). Alternatively, the entire DNA region can be sequenced to confirm that no additional mutational events have occurred outside of the targeted region.

Verified mutant duplexes in pET (or other) overexpression vectors can be employed to transform E. coli such as, e.g., strain E. coli BL21 (DE3) or strain E. coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS, for high level production of the mutant protein, and purification by standard protocols. The method of FAB-MS mapping, for example, can be employed to rapidly check the fidelity of mutant expression. This technique provides for sequencing segments throughout the whole protein and provides the necessary confidence in the sequence assignment. In a mapping experiment of this type, protein is digested with a protease (the choice will depend on the specific region to be modified since this segment is of prime interest and the remaining map should be identical to the map of unmutated protein). The set of cleavage fragments is fractionated by, for example, HPLC (reversed phase or ion exchange, again depending on the specific region to be modified) to provide several peptides in each fraction, and the molecular weights of the peptides are determined by standard methods, such as FAB-MS. The determined mass of each fragment are then compared to the molecular weights of peptides expected from the digestion of the predicted sequence, and the correctness of the sequence quickly ascertained. Since this mutagenesis approach to protein modification is directed, sequencing of the altered peptide should not be necessary if the MS data agrees with prediction. If necessary to verify a changed residue, CAD-tandem MS/MS can be employed to sequence the peptides of the mixture in question, or the target peptide can be purified for subtractive Edman degradation or carboxypeptidase Y digestion depending on the location of the modification.

Recombinant Nucleic Acids

Fucosyltransferase variants, PpA variants, and BfFKP variants, can be generated in various ways. In the case of amino acids located close together in the polypeptide chain, they may be mutated simultaneously using one oligonucleotide that codes for all of the desired amino acid substitutions. If however, the amino acids are located some distance from each other (separated by more than ten amino acids, for example) it is more difficult to generate a single oligonucleotide that encodes all of the desired changes. Instead, one of two alternative methods may be employed. In the first method, a separate oligonucleotide is generated for each amino acid to be substituted. The oligonucleotides are then annealed to the single-stranded template DNA simultaneously, and the second strand of DNA that is synthesized from the template will encode all of the desired amino acid substitutions. An alternative method involves two or more rounds of mutagenesis to produce the desired mutant. The first round is as described for the single mutants: DNA encoding the unmodified fucosyltransferase is used for the template, an oligonucleotide encoding the first desired amino acid substitution(s) is annealed to this template, and the heteroduplex DNA molecule is then generated. The second round of mutagenesis utilizes the mutated DNA produced in the first round of mutagenesis as the template. Thus, this template already contains one or more mutations. The oligonucleotide encoding the additional desired amino acid substitution(s) is then annealed to this template, and the resulting strand of DNA now encodes mutations from both the first and second rounds of mutagenesis. This resultant DNA can be used as a template in a third round of mutagenesis, and so on. Alternatively, the multi-site mutagenesis method of Seyfang & Jin (Anal. Biochem. 324:285-291. 2004) may be utilized.

Accordingly, also provided are recombinant nucleic acids, optionally isolated, encoding any of the fucosyltransferases of the present invention. In some embodiments, the invention provides an isolated or purified polynucleotide including a nucleotide sequence that is substantially identical to, and encodes for the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 (Te2FT), His₆-Te2FT, and MBP-Te2FT-His₆, or complements thereof. In some embodiments, the polynucleotide includes a nucleotide sequence that is substantially identical to, and encodes for the amino acid of SEQ ID NO: 1 (Te2FT), His₆-Te2FT, and MBP-Te2FT-His₆, or complements thereof. In general, the polynucleotide has at least 50% sequence identity to the corresponding nucleotide sequence that encodes for amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 1. The sequence identity can be, for example, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100%. In some embodiments, a given polynucleotide can be optimized for expression in yeast.

The instant invention also provides recombinant nucleic acids, optionally isolated, encoding any of the PpA's of the present invention. In some embodiments, the invention provides an isolated or purified polynucleotide including a nucleotide sequence that is substantially identical to SEQ ID NO:5 (PmPpA) or complements thereof. In some embodiments, the polynucleotide includes a nucleotide sequence that is substantially identical to SEQ ID NO:5 (PmPpA), or complements thereof. In general, the polynucleotide has at least 50% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:5. The sequence identity can be, for example, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100%. In some embodiments, a given polynucleotide can be optimized for expression in yeast. In some embodiments, the polynucleotide contains a sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:5 (in the absence of the nucleotide sequence corresponding to the his-tag), and complements thereof.

Also provided are recombinant nucleic acids, optionally isolated, encoding any of the BfFKP's of the present invention. In some embodiments, the invention provides an isolated or purified polynucleotide including a nucleotide sequence that is substantially identical to SEQ ID NO:4 (BfFKP) or complements thereof. In some embodiments, the polynucleotide includes a nucleotide sequence that is substantially identical to SEQ ID NO:4 (BfFKP), or complements thereof. In general, the polynucleotide has at least 50% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:4. The sequence identity can be, for example, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100%. In some embodiments, a given polynucleotide can be optimized for expression in yeast. In some embodiments, the polynucleotide contains a sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:4 (in the absence of the nucleotide sequence corresponding to the his-tag), and complements thereof.

Using a nucleic acid of the present invention, encoding a fucosyltransferase of the invention, a variety of vectors can be made. Any vector containing replicon and control sequences that are derived from a species compatible with the host cell can be used in the practice of the invention. Generally, expression vectors include transcriptional and translational regulatory nucleic acid regions operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding the mutant fucosyltransferase. The term “control sequences” refers to DNA sequences necessary for the expression of an operably linked coding sequence in a particular host organism. The control sequences that are suitable for prokaryotes, for example, include a promoter, optionally an operator sequence, and a ribosome binding site. In addition, the vector may contain a Positive Retroregulatory Element (PRE) to enhance the half-life of the transcribed mRNA (see Gelfand et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,848). The transcriptional and translational regulatory nucleic acid regions will generally be appropriate to the host cell used to express the fucosyltransferase. Numerous types of appropriate expression vectors, and suitable regulatory sequences are known in the art for a variety of host cells. In general, the transcriptional and translational regulatory sequences may include, e.g., promoter sequences, ribosomal binding sites, transcriptional start and stop sequences, translational start and stop sequences, and enhancer or activator sequences. In typical embodiments, the regulatory sequences include a promoter and transcriptional start and stop sequences Vectors also typically include a polylinker region containing several restriction sites for insertion of foreign DNA. In certain embodiments, “fusion flags” are used to facilitate purification and, if desired, subsequent removal of tag/flag sequence, e.g., “His-Tag”. However, these are generally unnecessary when purifying an thermoactive and/or thermostable protein from a mesophilic host (e.g., E. coli) where a “heat-step” may be employed. The construction of suitable vectors containing DNA encoding replication sequences, regulatory sequences, phenotypic selection genes, and the mutant fucosyltransferase of interest are prepared using standard recombinant DNA procedures. Isolated plasmids, viral vectors, and DNA fragments are cleaved, tailored, and ligated together in a specific order to generate the desired vectors, as is well-known in the art (see, e.g., Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York, N.Y., 2nd ed. 1989)). In some embodiments, the present invention provides a recombinant nucleic acid encoding an isolated fucosyltransferase of the present invention.

As discussed above, the present invention also features a vector, e.g., a vector containing a nucleic acid of the present invention, encoding a fucosyltransferase of the invention. The vector can further include one or more regulatory elements, e.g., a heterologous promoter. The regulatory elements can be operably linked to a gene encoding a protein, a gene construct encoding a fusion protein gene, or a series of genes linked in an operon in order to express the fusion protein. In yet another aspect, the invention comprises an isolated recombinant cell, e.g., a bacterial cell containing an aforementioned nucleic acid molecule or vector. The nucleic acid is optionally integrated into the genome.

Accordingly, the invention provides an expression cassette comprising a heterologous promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding an α1-2-fucosyltransferase, wherein the al-2-fucosyltransferase has a sequence identity of at least about 62% to SEQ ID NO: 1. In some embodiments, the expression cassette comprises a α1-2-fucosyltransferase having a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO: 1 In some embodiments, the expression cassette comprises a α1-2-fucosyltransferase having high α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity and low donor hydrolysis activity. In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase comprises an enzyme having an al-2-fucosyltransferase activity that is at least 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, or 5-fold more than the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity of GST-WbsJ, His₆Prop-WgbL, and Hp2FT, and wherein the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity is measured as the k_(cat) value for GDP-fucose.

Host Cells

In certain embodiments, the expression vector contains a selectable marker gene to allow the selection of transformed host cells. Selection genes are well known in the art and will vary with the host cell used. Suitable selection genes can include, for example, genes coding for ampicillin and/or tetracycline resistance, which enables cells transformed with these vectors to grow in the presence of these antibiotics.

In one aspect of the present invention, a nucleic acid encoding a fucosyltransferase of the invention is introduced into a cell, either alone or in combination with a vector. By “introduced into” or grammatical equivalents herein is meant that the nucleic acids enter the cells in a manner suitable for subsequent integration, amplification, and/or expression of the nucleic acid. The method of introduction is largely dictated by the targeted cell type. Exemplary methods include CaPO4 precipitation, liposome fusion, LIPOFECTIN®, electroporation, viral infection, and the like.

In some embodiments, prokaryotes are used as host cells for the initial cloning steps of the present invention. Other host cells include, but are not limited to, eukaryotic (e.g., mammalian, plant and insect cells), or prokaryotic (bacterial) cells. Exemplary host cells include, but are not limited to, Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia pastoris, Sf9 insect cells, and CHO cells. They are particularly useful for rapid production of large amounts of DNA, for production of single-stranded DNA templates used for site-directed mutagenesis, for screening many mutants simultaneously, and for DNA sequencing of the mutants generated. Suitable prokaryotic host cells include E. coli K12 strain 94 (ATCC No. 31,446), E. coli strain W3110 (ATCC No. 27,325), E. coli K12 strain DG116 (ATCC No. 53,606), E. coli X1776 (ATCC No. 31,537), and E coli B; however many other strains of E. coli, such as HB101, JM101, NM522, NM538, NM539, and many other species and genera of prokaryotes including bacilli such as Bacillus subtilis, other enterobacteriaceae such as Salmonella typhimurium or Serratia marcesans, and various Pseudomonas species can all be used as hosts. Prokaryotic host cells or other host cells with rigid cell walls are typically transformed using the calcium chloride method as described in section 1.82 of Sambrook et al., supra. Alternatively, electroporation can be used for transformation of these cells. Prokaryote transformation techniques are set forth in, for example Dower, in Genetic Engineering, Principles and Methods 12:275-296 (Plenum Publishing Corp., 1990); Hanahan et al., Meth. Enzymol., 204:63, 1991. Plasmids typically used for transformation of E. coli include pBR322, pUCI8, pUCI9, pUCI18, pUCI19, and Bluescript M13, all of which are described in sections 1.12-1.20 of Sambrook et al., supra. However, many other suitable vectors are available as well.

In some embodiments, the fucosyltransferases of the present invention are produced by culturing a host cell transformed with an expression vector containing a nucleic acid encoding the fucosyltransferase, under the appropriate conditions to induce or cause expression of the fucosyltransferase. Methods of culturing transformed host cells under conditions suitable for protein expression are well-known in the art (see, e.g., Sambrook et al., supra).

In some embodiments, a suitable production host bacterial strain is one that is not the same bacterial strain as the source bacterial strain from which the fucosyltransferase-encoding nucleic acid sequence was identified. For example, the bacterium may comprise an exogenous α1-2-fucosyltransferase gene. Exemplary α1-2-fucosyltransferase genes include Escherichia coli O126 wbgL, Helicobacter mustelae 12198 (ATCC 43772) α1-2-fucosyltransferase (futL), and Bacteroides vulgatus ATCC 8482 glycosyl transferase family protein (futN). In one embodiment, an exogenous α1-2-fucosyltransferase gene is selected from the group consisting of Escherichia coli O126 wbgL. Helicobacter mustelae 12198 (ATCC 43772) α1-2-fucosyltransferase (futL), Bacteroides vulgatus ATCC 8482 glycosyl transferase family protein (futN), Bacteroides fragilis (NCTC) 9343 fucosyl transferase (bft3/wcfB), Escherichia coli 055:H7 (str. CB9615) fucosyltransferase (wbgN), Helicobacter bilis ATCC 437879 futD, Vibrio cholera 022 wblA, Bacteroides fragilis (NCTC) 9343 α1-2-fucosyltransferase (bft1), Bacteroides ovatus ATCC 8483 futO, and Helicobacter cinaedi CCUG 18818 α1-2-fucosyltransferase (futE). In certain embodiments, it is preferable that the exogenous α1-2-fucosyltransferase gene comprises at least 62% to SEQ ID NO: 1.

In some embodiments, the exogenous α1-2-fucosyltransferase gene comprises Helicobacter pylori 26695 alpha-(1-2)fucosyltransferase (futC), e.g., at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 30% identity. In some embodiments, the exogenous α1-2-fucosyltransferase gene comprises (futL), e.g., at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 30% identity. FutL is 70% identical to FutC at the amino acid level.

Accordingly, the invention provides a host cell comprising an expression cassette comprising a heterologous promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding an α1-2-fucosyltransferase, wherein the α1-2-fucosyltransferase has a sequence identity of at least about 62% to SEQ ID NO: 1. In some embodiments, the host cell comprising the expression cassette includes a α1-2-fucosyltransferase having a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO: 1 In some embodiments, the host cell comprising the expression cassette includes a α1-2-fucosyltransferase having high α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity and low donor hydrolysis activity. In some embodiments, the host cell comprising the expression cassetee having a α1-2-fucosyltransferase includes α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity that is at least 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, or 5-fold more than the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity of GST-WbsJ, His₆Prop-WgbL, and Hp2FT, and wherein the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity is measured as the k_(cat) value for GDP-fucose.

Following expression, the fucosyltransferase can be harvested and isolated. Methods for purifying thermostable glycosyltransferases are described in, for example, Lawyer et al., supra. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a cell including a recombinant nucleic acid of the present invention. In some embodiments, the cell can be prokaryotes, eukaryotes, mammalian, plant, bacteria or insect cells.

VI. Methods of Making Oligosaccharides

The fucosyltransferases of the present invention can be used to prepare glycoconjugates, specifically to add fucose and analogs thereof, to an acceptor substrate, such as a galactose (Gal), or N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). For example, Te2FT can catalyze the addition of fucose to form α1-2-fucosides, such as β1-3-linked galactose (Gal) or N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) glycoconjugates.

Accordingly, some embodiments of the present invention provide a method of preparing α1-2 fucosides. The method includes forming a reaction mixture containing an acceptor substrate, a donor substrate having a sugar moiety and a nucleotide, and a fucosyltransferase of the present invention. The fucosyltransferase includes a polypeptide having a sequence that is selected from SEQ ID NO: 1 (Te2FT), (Te2FT-His₆), and (MBP-Te2FT-His₆). The reaction mixture is formed under conditions sufficient to transfer the sugar moiety from the donor substrate to the acceptor substrate, thereby forming the α1-2 fucoside.

In one embodiment, the reaction mixture comprises an α1-2-fucosyltransferase enzyme having a sequence identity of at least about 62% to the α1-2-fucosyltransferase of SEQ ID NO: 1 (Te2FT) and a bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme, or a inorganic pyrophosphatase enzyme, or the combination thereof. In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase in the reaction mixture has a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO: 1. In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase is heterologous with respect to the bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme or inorganic pyrophosphatase enzyme. In some embodiments, the reaction mixture comprises an α1-2-fucosyltransferase enzyme, a bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme, and a inorganic pyrophosphatase enzyme. In one embodiment, the bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme is BfFKP from Bacteriodes fragilis strain NCTC9343. In some embodiments, the bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase has a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO:2. In one embodiment, the inorganic pyrophosphatase enzyme is PmPpA from Pasteurella multocida. In some embodiments, the inorganic pyrophosphatase has a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO:3. In some embodiments, the reaction mixture further comprises guanidine 5′-diphosphate-fucose (GDP-Fucose). In some embodiments, the reaction mixture further comprises Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ2AA, or Galβ1-4Glcβ2AA. In this context, 2AA refers to anthranilic acid (2-aminobenzoic acid). In some embodiments, the reaction mixture further comprises Galβ1-3GlcNAcβOR, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαOR, Galβ1-3GalNAcαOR, or Galβ1-3GalNAcβOR, wherein R is selected from OH, OCH₂CH₂CH₂N₃ or lactose. In some embodiments, the reaction mixture further comprises Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃ or lacto-N-tetraose.

In some embodiments, the invention provides a method of making an α 1-2-linked fucoside, the method comprising providing a reaction mixture as described in the preceding paragraph, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises an acceptor and incubating the reaction mixture under conditions suitable to form the α1-2-linked fucoside. In some embodiments, the acceptor is a β1-3 acceptor selected from the group consisting of Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, or Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃. In some embodiments, the acceptor is lacto-N-tetraose. In some embodiments, the α1-2-linked fucoside is a human blood group H antigen or lacto-N-fucopentaose I. In some embodiments, the α1-2-linked fucoside is a α1-2-fucosylated β1-3 linked galactoside. In some embodiments, the α1-2-linked fucoside is selected from the group consisting of Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃, Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, and Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃. In one embodiment, the α1-2-linked fucoside is lacto-N-fucopentaose I.

Any suitable acceptor glycoconjugate can be used in the methods of the invention. In some embodiments, the acceptor glycoconjugate comprises a galactoside moiety. In some embodiments, the galactoside moiety is selected from the group consisting of a β1-4-linked galactoside moiety and a β1-3-linked galactoside moiety. In some embodiments, the acceptor glycoconjugate comprises a Galβ1-3GlcNAc moiety or a Galβ1-3GalNAc moiety.

The donor substrate of the present invention includes a nucleotide and sugar. Suitable nucleotides include, but are not limited to, adenine, guanine, cytosine, uracil and thymine nucleotides with one, two or three phosphate groups. In some embodiments, the nucleotide can be GTP.

The methods of the invention include providing reaction mixtures that contain the α1-2-fucosyltransferases described herein. The α1-2-fucosyltransferases can be, for example, purified prior to addition to the reaction mixture or secreted by a cell present in the reaction mixture. Alternatively, an α1-2-fucosyltransferase can catalyze the reaction within a cell expressing the α1-2-fucosyltransferase Optionally, α1-2-fucosyltransferases secreted by a host cell can be isolated from the host cell or the spent media.

Reaction mixtures can contain additional reagents for use in glycosylation techniques. For example, in certain embodiments, the reaction mixtures can contain buffers (e.g., 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES), 2-[4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazin-1-yl]ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES), 3-morpholinopropane-1-sulfonic acid (MOPS), 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-propane-1,3-diol (TRIS), potassium phosphate, sodium phosphate, phosphate-buffered saline, sodium citrate, sodium acetate, and sodium borate), cosolvents (e.g., dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylformamide, ethanol, methanol, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, and acetic acid), salts (e.g., NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, and salts of Mn²⁺ and Mg²⁺), chelators (e.g., ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)-N,N,N,N-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), 2-({2-[Bis(carboxymethyl)amino]ethyl}(carboxymethyl)amino)acetic acid (EDTA), and 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N,N-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA)), reducing agents (e.g., dithiothreitol (DTT), β-mercaptoethanol (BME), and tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP)), and labels (e.g., fluorophores, radiolabels, and spin labels). Buffers, cosolvents, salts, chelators, reducing agents, and labels can be used at any suitable concentration, which can be readily determined by one of skill in the art. In general, buffers, cosolvents, salts, chelators, reducing agents, and labels are included in reaction mixtures at concentrations ranging from about 1 μM to about 1 M. For example, a buffer, a cosolvent, a salt, a chelator, a reducing agent, or a label can be included in a reaction mixture at a concentration of about 1 μM, or about 10 μM, or about 100 μM. or about 1 mM, or about 10 mM, or about 25 mM, or about 50 mM, or about 100 mM, or about 250 mM, or about 500 mM, or about 1 M.

Reactions are conducted under conditions sufficient to transfer the sugar moiety from a donor substrate to an acceptor substrate. The reactions can be conducted at any suitable temperature. In general, the reactions are conducted at a temperature of from about 4° C. to about 40° C. The reactions can be conducted, for example, at about 25° C. or about 37° C. The reactions can be conducted at any suitable pH In general, the reactions are conducted at a pH of from about 4.5 to about 10. The reactions can be conducted, for example, at a pH of from about 5 to about 9. The reactions can be conducted for any suitable length of time. In general, the reaction mixtures are incubated under suitable conditions for anywhere between about 1 minute and several hours. The reactions can be conducted, for example, for about 1 minute, or about 5 minutes, or about 10 minutes, or about 30 minutes, or about 1 hour, or about 2 hours, or about 4 hours, or about 8 hours, or about 12 hours, or about 24 hours, or about 48 hours, or about 72 hours Other reaction conditions may be employed in the methods of the invention, depending on the identity of a particular fucosyltransferase, donor substrate, or acceptor molecule.

VII. Examples General Materials and Methods Chemicals and Reagents

Chemicals were purchased and used without further purification. ¹H NMR (800 MHz) and ¹³C NMR (200 MHz) spectra were recorded on a Bruker Avance-800 NMR spectrometer. High resolution electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra were obtained using Thermo Electron LTQ-Orbitrap Hybrid MS at the Mass Spectrometry Facility in the University of California, Davis. Silica gel 60 Å (230-400 mesh, Sorbent Technologies) was used for flash column chromatography. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC, Sorbent Technologies) was performed on silica gel plates using anisaldehyde sugar stain or 5% sulfuric acid in ethanol stain for detection. Gel filtration chromatography was performed with a column (100 cm×2.5 cm) packed with Bio-Gel P-2 Fine resins (Bio-Rad, Hercules, California, USA). D-Lactose, D-galactose, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (D-GlcNAc) were from Fisher Scientific (Pittsburgh, Pa., USA). L-Fucose was from V-LABS (Covington, La., USA). Lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) was from Elicityl (Crolles, France). Guanidine 5′-triphosphate (GTP) was from Hangzhou Meiya Pharmacy (Hangzhou, China). Adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) was from Beta Pharma Scientific, Inc. (Branford, Connectic, USA). Recombinant enzymes Bacteroides fragilis strain NCTC9343 bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase (FKP)^([24]) and Pasteurella multocida inorganic pyrophosphatase (PmPpA)^([25]) were expressed and purified as described previously. Compounds Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃ were synthesized as described previously.^([34])

Bacterial Strains, Plasmids, and Materials

Electrocompetent Escherichia coli cells DH5α and chemically competent cells BL21 (DE3) were from Invitrogen (Carlsbad, Calif., USA). Vector plasmids pET15b and pMAL-c4X were purchased from Novagen (EMD Biosciences Inc., Madison, Wis., USA). QIAprep spin miniprep kit and QIAquick gel extraction kit were from Qiagen (Valencia, Calif., USA). Herculase-enhanced DNA polymerase was from Stratagene (La Jolla, Calif., USA). T4 DNA ligase and 1 kb DNA ladder were from Promega (Madison, Wis., USA). NdeI, BamHI, EcoRI, and SalI restriction enzymes, Taq 2× Master Mix, and amylose resin were from New England Biolabs (Beverly, Mass., USA). Nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid agarose (Ni²⁺-NTA agarose) was from 5 PRIME (Gaithersburg, Md., USA).

Example 1 Cloning, Expression, and Purification of His₆-Te2FT And MBP-Te2FT-His₆

Methods

Cloning

Full-length synthetic gene for Te2FT with codons optimized for E. coli expression was customer synthesized by Biomatik (Wilmington, Del., USA) and provided in a pBSK(+) vector. The primers used for cloning His₆-Te2FT in to pET15b vector were: forward primer 5′-GATCCATATGATTATCGTTCACCTGTGCG-3′ (NdeI restriction site is underlined) (SEQ ID NO:6) and reverse primer 5′-AAGGGATCCTTACAGAACAATCCAACCC-3′ (BamHI restriction site is underlined) (SEQ ID NO:7). The primers used for cloning the MBP-Te2FT-His₆ in to pMAL-c4X vector were: forward primer 5′-GATCCATATGGTGAAAGTACTGACTGTATT-3′ (EcoRI restriction site is underlined) (SEQ ID NO:8) and reverse primer 5′-ACGCGTCGACTTAGTGGTGGTGGTGGTGGTGCAGAACAATCCAACCC-3′ (Sail restriction site is underlined) (SEQ ID NO:9).

Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) for amplifying the target gene were performed in a 50 μL reaction mixture containing plasmid DNA (10 ng), forward and reverse primers (0.2 μM each), Taq 2× Master Mix. The PCR procedure included an initial cycle of 30 seconds at 95° C., followed by 30 cycles of 30 seconds at 95° C., 30 seconds at 56° C., and 1 minute at 68° C. For the final extension, the reaction was held at 68° C. for 10 minutes. The resulting PCR product was purified and double digested with NdeI and BamHI or EcoRI and SalI restriction enzymes. The purified and digested PCR products were ligated with the predigested pET15b vector or pMAL-c4X and transformed into electrocompetent E. coli DH5α cells.

Expression and Purification of MBP-Te2FT-His₆

Positive plasmids were selected and transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3) chemical competent cells. The plasmid-bearing E. coli strains were cultured in LB medium (10 g L⁻¹ tryptone, 5 g L⁻¹ yeast extract, and 10 g L⁻¹ NaCl) supplemented with ampicillin (100 μg mL⁻¹). Overexpression of the target protein was achieved by inducing the E. coli culture with 0.1 mM of isopropyl-1-thio-β-D-galactopyranoside (IPTG) when OD_(600 nm) reached 0.6-0.8 followed by incubating at 16° C. for 20 hours with shaking at 160 rpm in a C25KC incubator shaker (New Brunswick Scientific, Edison, N.J.).

His₆-tagged target proteins were purified from cell lysate. To obtain the cell lysate, cell pellet harvested by centrifugation at 4000 rpm for 1 h was resuspended (30 mL L⁻¹ cell culture) in lysis buffer (pH 8.0, 100 mM Tris-HCl containing 0.1% Triton X-100). The sonication protocol was 2 seconds (sonication)/3 seconds (rest) for a total of 7 min on ice. Cell lysate was obtained by centrifugation at 11,000 rpm for 25 min as the supernatant. Purification of His₆-tagged proteins from the lysate was achieved using a Ni²⁺-resin column. The column was pre-equilibrated with 10 column volumes of binding buffer (5 mM imidazole, 0.5 M NaCl, 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5) before the lysate was loaded. After washing with 8 column volumes of binding buffer and 10 column volumes of washing buffer (50 mM imidazole, 0.5 M NaCl, 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5), the protein was eluted with an elute buffer (200 mM imidazole, 0.5 M NaCl, 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5).

Sodium Dodecylsulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of His₆-Te2FT and MBP-Te2FT-His₆

SDS-PAGE was performed in a 12% Tris-glycine gel using a Bio-Rad Mini-protein III cell gel electrophoresis unit (Bio-Rad, Hercules, Calif.) at DC=125 V. Bio-Rad Precision Plus Protein Standards (10-250 kDa) were used as molecular weight standards. Gels were stained with Coomassie Blue.

Quantification of Purified Protein

The purified proteins were quantified in a 96-well plate using a Bicinchoninic acid (BCA) Protein Assay Kit (Pierce Biotechnology, Rockford, Ill.) with bovine serum albumin as a protein standard. The absorbance of samples was measured at 562 nm by a BioTek Synergy™ HT Multi-Mode Microplate Reader.

Protein Encoded by the Gene T110994 from Thermophilic Cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1

Protein encoded by tll0994 gene from thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1^([16]), designated as Te2FT, was identified by BLAST search as a hypothetic α1-2-fucosyltransferase due to its sequence homology to a α1-2-fucosyltransferase from E. coli O86:B7 WbwK. The EMBOSS Needle alignment tool (www.ebi.ac.uk/bwK5Tools/psa/emboss_needle/) was used for protein sequence alignment. As shown in FIG. 1, the hypothetical α1-2-fucosyltransferase encoded in cyanobacterium T. elongatus BP-1 genome (Te2FT) shares 32.3% identity and 48.3% similarity to E. coli O86:B7 WbwK belonging to Carbohydrate Active Enzyme (CAZy) glycosyltransferase family 11 (GT 11) that is involved in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (O-antigen) of the bacterium.^([13a]) It also shares 32% identity to E. coli O128:B12 WbgL that has been used for the synthesis of 2′-fucosyllactose.^([15a)] The sequence alignment shows that Te2FT shares 27-33% identities and 44-48% similarities to the previously reported α1-2-fucosyltransferases of FIG. 1 ^([17]) which contains all α1-2-fucosyltransferases characterized to date with except for Dictyostelium discoideum which is a bifunctional β3GalT and α2FT in the CAZy GT74 family.^([18]) The sequence alignment also indicates Te2FT has four conserved motifs (I-IV) shared by GT11 family fucosyltransferases including highly conserved motif I (H¹⁶²xR¹⁶⁴R¹⁶⁵xD¹⁶⁷) which is likely involved in GDP-fucose binding.^([13b]) Residues R¹⁶⁴ and D¹⁶⁷ were indicated to play critical roles in donor binding and enzyme activity.^([13b]) FIG. 1 shows the amino acid sequence alignment of Te2FT (UniProtKB:Q8DK72, GenBank: BAC08546.1), H. pylori FutC (UniProtKB:A4L7J1), E. coli O127:K63 WbiQ (UniProtKB:Q5J7C6), E. coli O86:K62:H2 WbnK (UniProtKB:Q58YV9), E. coli O128:B12 WbsJ (UniProtKB:Q6XQ53), E. coli O86:B7 WbwK (GenBank:AAO37719.1), and E. coli O126 WbgL (UniProtKB: A6M9C2).

Expression and Purification of of His₆-Te2FT and MBP-Te2FT-His₆

Te2FT was cloned as an N-His₆-tagged recombinant protein (His₆-Te2FT) in pET15b vector, as well as an N-MBP-fused and C-His₆-tagged recombinant protein (MBP-Te2FT-His₆) in pMAL-c4X vector. Ni²⁺-column purified proteins were found to have molecular weights close to the calculated value of 36.2 KDa (His₆-Te2FT) and 75.8 KDa (MBP-Te2FT-His₆), respectively (FIG. 2). When expressed at optimal conditions at 16° C. for 20 hours with shaking at 120 rpm, the expression levels of His₆-Te2FT and MBP-Te2FT-His₆ were 15 and 16 mg per liter, respectively. The expression level of His₆-Te2FT (15 mg/L culture) was significantly higher than other reported α1-2FTs^([15a]) and was comparable to recombinant C-truncated Helicobacter pylori α3FT^([19]) which, partially due to its easy accessibility by recombinant expression, has been crystallized^([20]) and broadly used in enzymatic and chemoenzymatic synthesis of α1-3-linked fucosides.^([21]) Due to its good expression level and lower molecular weight compared to MBP-Te2FT-His₆, His₆-Te2FT was used for more detailed characterization and synthesis.

Example 2 pH Profiles of His₆-Te2FT Methods

ph Profile of α1-2-Fucosyltransferase Activity of His₆-Te2FT by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

Each reaction was carried out in duplicate at 37° C. for 10 minutes in a total volume of 10 μL in a buffer (200 mM) with pH varying from 3.0 to 11.0. The buffers used were: Citric, pH 3.0-4.0, NaOAc/HOAc, pH 4.5, MES, pH 5.0-6.5; Tris-HCl, pH 7.0-9.0; and CAPS, pH 10.0-11.0. The reaction system was: GDP-fucose (1 mM), fluorophore 2-anthranilic acid (2AA)-labeled oligosaccharide (Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA, 1 mM), MgCl₂ (20 mM), and the recombinant enzyme, His₆-Te2FT (0.25 μg). The reaction mixture was stopped by boiling for 2 min and then adding an equal volume of water (10 μL) to make a ten-fold dilution for Gal β1-3GlcNAcβ2AA. The samples were analyzed by a Shimadzu LC-2010A system equipped with a membrane online degasser, a temperature control unit and a fluorescence detector. A reverse-phase Premier C18 column (250×4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size, Shimadzu) protected with a C18 guard column cartridge was used. The mobile phase was 20% acetonitrile. The ratio of the absorbance for fluorescent-labeled product at 315-400 nm was determined.

Results

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-based pH profile study using Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA (a type I glycan with a fluorescent 2-anthranilic acid aglycone) as an acceptor showed that His₆-Te2FT was active in a broad pH range of 4.0-10.0 with optimal activities at pH 4.5-6.0 (FIG. 4). About 85% of the optimal activity was found at pH 6.5 under the experimental conditions used.

pH Profile of GDP-Fucose Hydrolysis of His₆-Te2FT by Capillary Electrophoresis Assays

Each reaction was carried out in duplicate at 37° C. for 30 minutes in a total volume of L in a buffer (200 mM) with pH varying from 3.0 to 11.0. The buffers used were: Citric, pH 3.0-4.0, NaOAc/HOAc, pH 4.5, MES, pH 5.0-6.5; Tris-HCl, pH 7.0-9.0; and CAPS, pH 10.0-11.0 containing GDP-fucose (1 mM), MgCl₂ (20 mM) and the recombinant enzyme (3.75 μg). Reactions were stopped by boiling for 2 min followed by adding an equal volume of water (10 μL) to make a two-fold dilution. The samples were kept on ice until aliquots of 6 μL were withdrawn and analyzed by a Beckman P/ACE MDQ capillary electrophoresis system (60 cm×75 m i.d.) with a PDA detector. The ratio of the absorbance for GDP-fucose and GDP at 254 nm was determined at different concentrations (2.5, 5, and 10 mM). All assays were carried out in duplicate.

Results

Guanosine 5′-diphosphate-fucose (GDP-fucose, a donor substrate for fucosyltransferases) hydrolysis activity of fucosyltransferases could lower synthetic yields,^([23]) to determine the effect of donor hydrolysis activity, an assay using His₆-Te2FT was carried out. To our surprise, using 15-fold more enzyme and 3-fold longer reaction time than those in the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity assays (described above) indicated that the donor hydrolysis activity of His₆-Te2FT was at a minimum in the pH range (5.0-8.0) that would normally be used for the α1-2-fucosyltransfer reactions (FIG. 4). An optimal pH of 9.5 was observed for the GDP-fucose hydrolysis activity.

Example 3 Effects of Metal Ions, Dithiothreitol (DTT) and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA) Methods

For metal effects, various concentrations (5 mM, 10 mM, or 20 mM) of MgCl₂ or MnCl₂ were added and EDTA (as a chelating agent) (10 mM) and DTT (10 mM) were used in a Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.5, 200 mM) to analyze their effects on the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity of His₆-Te2FT for acceptor Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA. Reaction without metal ions, EDTA and DTT was used as a control. The effects of metal ions Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺ as well as DTT and the chelating agent EDTA on the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity of His₆-Te2FT toward and acceptor Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA were examined at pH 7.5.

Results

A divalent metal ion was not required for the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity of His₆-Te2FT. Adding 10 mM of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) decreased its activity only slightly (FIG. 5). However, its activity was enhanced by about two-fold when 5-20 mM of Mg²⁺ or Mn²⁺ was added. The addition of 10 mM of dithiothreitol (DTT) decreased His₆-Te2FT activity moderately, indicating disulfide bond formation was not essential for the enzyme activity despite of the presence of 5 cysteine residues in the Te2FT protein sequence.

Example 4 Effect of Temperature on α1-2-Fucosyltransferase Activity of His₆-Te2FT Methods

Assays were carried out in a total volume of 10 μL in a Tris-HCl buffer (pH 6.0, 200 mM) at temperatures ranging from 15° C. to 70° C. The reaction mixture contained GDP-fucose (1 mM), MgCl₂ (20 mM), Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA (1 mM), and the recombinant His₆-Te2FT (1.5 μg). All reactions were allowed to proceed for 10 minutes at various temperatures. The reaction was stopped by boiling for 2 minutes, and diluted 60-fold for detection.

Results

Since His₆-Te2FT was originated from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, its temperature profile was investigated. It was active in a broad temperature range of 25-60° C. with optimal activities observed in the range of 30-45° C. (FIG. 6). Low activity was observed at 15° C. and 20° C. and minimal activity was retained at 65° C. or 70° C.

Example 5 Effect of Freeze-Dry Cycle on His₆-Te2FT Methods

Purified His₆-Te2FT samples were prepared essentially as described in Example 1, and were dialyzed against 20 mM Tris-HCl without glycerol and lyophilized. The Te2FT powders were stored at −70° C. for 20 days, or for several months. After that, the dried powder was dissolved in water and 20 mM Tris-HCl buffer, respectively. The activities of the lyophilized His₆-Te2FT samples were compared with the same amount and concentration of freshly prepared Te2FT samples. The reaction mixture was GDP-fucose (1 mM), Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA, (1 mM), MgCl₂ (20 mM), and His₆-Te2FT (0.75 μg). All reactions were performed in duplicate and allowed to proceed for 10 minutes at 37° C.

Results

The lyophilization experiment demonstrated His₆-Te2FT can survive a freeze-dry treatment (FIG. 7), even when the enzyme Te2FT is stored at −70° C. for several months. The enzyme maintains its fucosyltransferase activity similar to that obtained to freshly prepared preparations of TE2FT, indicating the potential for long term storage.

Example 6 Kinetic Studies Kinetics of α1-2-Fucosyltransferase Activity by HPLC Assays

Typical enzymatic assays were carried out in duplicate in a total volume of 10 μL in Tris-HCl buffer (pH 6.0, 200 mM) containing MgCl₂ (20 mM), GDP-fucose, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA, and the recombinant His₆-Te2FT (0.75 μg). All reactions were allowed to proceed for 10 min at 37° C. Apparent kinetic parameters were obtained by varying the GDP-fucose concentration from 0.1 to 10.0 mM (0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mM) and a fixed concentration of Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA (1 mM); or a fixed concentration of GDP-fucose (1 mM) and varied concentrations of Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA from 0.1 to 10.0 mM (0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 5.0, and 10.0 mM). The reaction mixture was quenched by boiling for 2 minutes and diluted 60-fold for detection. Apparent kinetic parameters were obtained by fitting the data into the Michaelis-Menten equation using Grafit 5.0.

Results

Initial substrate specificity studies using various disaccharides as acceptor substrates indicated that His₆-Te2FT worked well with type I (Galβ1-3GlcNAcβOR) and its derivative (Galβ1-3GlcNAcαOR), Type III (Galβ1-3GalNAcαOR), and type IV (Galβ1-3GalNAcβOR) acceptors for adding a fucose α1-2-linked to the terminal galactose (Gal) residue. However, type II (Galβ1-4GlcNAcβOR) and type V (Galβ1-4GlcβOR)^([22]) glycans were not good acceptors.

Kinetics studies of His₆-Te2FT using Gal β1-3GlcNAcβ2AA as an acceptor (Table 1) indicated its superior α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity. Compared to GST-WbsJ,^([13]) His₆Prop-WgbL,^([15a]) and Hp2FT,^([10]) His₆-Te2FT showed a significantly higher k_(cat) value for GDP-fucose (201-, 6.7-, and 14.6-fold, respectively) and a higher affinity for the acceptor.

TABLE 1 k_(cat)/K_(M) Activity Substrate k_(cat) (min⁻¹) K_(M) (mM) (min⁻¹ mM⁻¹) 2FT Galβ1- 20.0 ± 0.7 0.79 ± 0.11 25.3 3GlcNAcβ2AA GDP-fucose 26.3 ± 0.8 0.73 ± 0.68 36.1 GDP-Fuc GDP-fucose  0.30 ± 0.06 0.56 ± 0.21 0.54 hydrolysis

The catalytic efficiency of His6-Te2FT was similar to that of Hp2FT but is superior to WbsJ and WbgL as reflected by a higher k_(cat)/KM value for GDP-Fuc (29.2-fold and 2.5-fold higher).

Kinetics of GDP-Fucose Hydrolysis by Capillary Electrophoresis Assays

The enzymatic assays were carried out in duplicate in a total volume of 10 μL in Tris-HCl buffer (200 mM, pH 9.0) containing MgCl₂ (20 mM), GDP-fucose and the recombinant protein (4.5 μg). Reactions were allowed to proceed for 30 min at 37° C. Apparent kinetic parameters were obtained by varying the final GDP-fucose concentration from 0.4 to 2.0 mM (0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 2.0 mM). Apparent kinetic parameters were obtained by fitting the data (the average values of duplicate assay results) into the Michaelis-Menten equation using Grafit 5.0.

Results

The GDP-fucose (donor) hydrolysis activity (k_(cat)/KM=0.54 min-1 mM-1) of His6-Te2FT (Table 1) was 47-fold weaker than its α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity and much lower than the donor hydrolysis activity of Hp2FT (6.07 min-1 mM-1). 7 These data indicate that His6-Te2FT is a superior catalyst for enzymatic synthesis of α1-2-linked fucosides.

Example 7 Acceptor Substrate Specificity Studies of His₆-Te2FT

General Synthetic Methods

Chemicals were purchased and used without further purification. ¹H NMR (800 MHz) and ¹³C NMR (200 MHz) spectra were recorded on a Bruker Avance-800 NMR spectrometer. High resolution electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra were obtained using Thermo Electron LTQ-Orbitrap Hybrid MS at the Mass Spectrometry Facility in the University of California, Davis. Silica gel 60 Å (230-400 mesh, Sorbent Technologies) was used for flash column chromatography. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC, Sorbent Technologies) was performed on silica gel plates using anisaldehyde sugar stain or 5% sulfuric acid in ethanol stain for detection. Gel filtration chromatography was performed with a column (100 cm×2.5 cm) packed with Bio-Gel P-2 Fine resins (Bio-Rad, Hercules, Calif., USA). D-Lactose, D-galactose, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (D-GlcNAc) were from Fisher Scientific (Pittsburgh, Pa., USA). L-Fucose was from V-LABS (Covington, La., USA). Lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) was from Elicityl (Crolles, France). Guanidine 5′-triphosphate (GTP) was from Hangzhou Meiya Pharmacy (Hangzhou, China). Adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) was from Beta Pharma Scientific, Inc. (Branford, Connectic, USA). Recombinant enzymes Bacteroides fragilis strain NCTC9343 bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase (FKP)^([24]) and Pasteurella multocida inorganic pyrophosphatase (PmPpA)^([25]) were expressed and purified as described previously. Compounds Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃ were synthesized as described previously.^([34])

Synthesis of 2AA-Labeled Saccharides: Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ2AA, and Galβ1-4Glcβ2AA

Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβProN₃, or Galβ1-4GlcβProN₃ (50-60 mg) was dissolved in 5 mL water and 100 mg Pd/C was added. The mixture was shaken under H2 (4 Bar) for 1 h and filtered. The filtrate was evaporated to dryness to afford the corresponding amine product which was used in the next step without purification. To the solution of glycan-amine in 5 mL anhydrous DMF, was added triethylamine (60 μL) under argon. Two equivalents of N-hydroxysuccinimidyl 2AA were then added at 0° C. The resulting solution was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated and the residue was purified by flash column chromatography (EA:MeOH:H₂O=8:2:1, by volume) to produce the corresponding 2AA-labeled oligosaccharides.

Results Synthesis of Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA.

51 mg, 92%. ¹H NMR (800 MHz, D₂O): δ 7.91 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.84 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.59 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.26 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.43 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 4.37 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 3.88 (d, J=4.0 Hz, 1H), 3.87 (s, 3H), 3.86-3.84 (m, 2H), 3.79-3.59 (m, 6H), 3.61 (dd, J=9.6 and 3.2 Hz, 1H), 3.53 (m, 1H), 3.49 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 3.48 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 3.37 (m, 1H), 3.24 (m, 1H), 3.14 (m, 1H), 2.71 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 2.58 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 1.98 (s, 3H), 1.71 (m, 2H); ¹³C NMR (200 MHz, D₂O): δ 174.48, 174.24, 173.09, 168.90, 137.18, 133.93, 130.77, 124.95, 122.86, 120.11, 103.40, 100.77, 82.39, 75.19, 75.15, 72.35, 70.53, 68.55, 68.38, 67.48, 60.87, 60.56, 54.38, 52.64, 35.98, 32.29, 30.75, 28.20, 22.07. HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for C₂₉H₄₃N₃NaO₁₅ (M+Na) 696.2592, found 696.2585.

Synthesis of Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ2AA Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ2AA.

68 mg, 90%. ¹H NMR (800 MHz, D₂O): δ 7.96 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.81 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.62 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.31 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.42 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.40 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 3.98-3.51 (m, 16H), 3.46 (m, 1H), 3.25 (m, 1H), 3.14 (m, 1H), 2.74 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 2H), 2.59 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 2H), 1.98 (s, 3H), 1.71 (m, 2H); ¹³C NMR (200 MHz, D₂O): δ 174.37, 174.31, 173.31, 168.97, 136.87, 133.85, 130.76, 125.20, 123.32, 120.87, 102.75, 100.97, 78.30, 75.21, 74.57, 72.40, 72.30, 70.82, 68.41, 67.47, 60.88, 59.89, 54.90, 52.65, 35.95, 32.17, 30.76, 28.18, 21.99. HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for C₂₉H₄₃N₃NaO₁₅ (M+Na) 696.2592, found 696.2589.

Synthesis of Galβ1-4Glcβ2AA Galβ1-4Glcβ2AA.

55 mg, 91%. ¹H NMR (800 MHz, D₂O): δ 7.95 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.84 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 7.61 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.30 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.41 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.33 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 3.92-3.52 (m, 13H), 3.45 (m, 1H), 3.31-3.23 (m, 5H), 2.74 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 2.59 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 1.77 (m, 2H); ¹³C NMR (200 MHz, D₂O): δ 174.34, 173.23, 168.95, 137.03, 133.90, 130.78, 125.10, 123.12, 120.52, 102.81, 101.93, 78.24, 75.22, 74.58, 74.21, 72.65, 72.41, 70.82, 68.41, 67.50, 60.89, 59.91, 52.65, 36.04, 32.27, 30.85, 28.24. HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for C₂₇H₄₀N₂NaO₁₅ (M+Na) 655.2326, found 655.2326.

Example 8 One-Pot Three-Enzyme Preparative-Scale Synthesis of α1-2-Linked Fucosides Methods

Galactoside (30-60 mg each, 1 equiv.), L-fucose (1.3 equiv.), ATP (1.3 equiv.), and GTP (1.3 equiv.) were dissolved in Tris-HCl buffer (8 mL, 100 mM, pH 7.5) containing MgCl₂ (20 mM) and recombinant bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase (FKP, 1.5 mg),^([24]) Pasteurella multocida inorganic pyrophosphatase (PmPpA) (1.0 mg), and His₆-Te2FT (1.5-2.0 mg) (FIG. 8). All other reactions were carried out at pH 7.5. All reactions were incubated in an incubator shaker at 37° C. for around 1-2 days with agitation at 100 rpm. The product formation was monitored by mass spectrometry. When an optimal yield was achieved, the reaction was stopped by adding the same volume of cold ethanol (EtOH) and kept at 4° C. for 30 min. The mixture was centrifuged at 7000 rpm for 30 minutes and the precipitates were removed. The supernatant was concentrated, passed through a BioGel P-2 gel filtration column, and eluted with water to obtain partially purified product. A silica gel column was then used for further purification using EtOAc:MeOH:H₂O=5:2:1 (by volume) as the mobile phase. The final pure fucosylated products was obtained by passing through a BioGel P-2 gel filtration column again for removing any silica gel dissolved.

Results

The synthetic application of Te2FT was explored in an efficient one-pot three-enzyme (OP3E) fucosylation system (FIG. 8) for synthesizing various α1-2-linked fucosides. In this system, recombinant bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase from Bacteroides fragilis strain NCTC9343 (BfFKP)^([24]) was used for catalyzing the formation of GDP-fucose from fucose, adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP), and guanidine 5′-triphosphate (GTP) to provide the donor substrate for Te2FT. Pasteurella multocida inorganic pyrophosphatase (PmPpA)^([25]) was used to break down the pyrophosphate by-product to shift the reaction towards the formation of GDP-fucose. As shown in Table 2, the OP3E fucosylation of β1-3-linked galactosides was successfully accomplished with 96%, 95%, 95%, and 98% yields, respectively, to produce desired human blood group H antigens, Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN3 (1, a type I H antigen), Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN3 (2, a type I H antigen derivative), Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN3 (3, a type III H antigen), and Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN3 (4, a type IV H antigen).

TABLE 2 Acceptor Product Yield (%) Amount (mg) Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃ Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃ (1) 96 50.5 Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃ Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃ (2) 95 51.3 Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃ Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃ (3) 95 35.7 Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃ Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃ (4) 98 43.8 LNT Fucα1-2LNT or LNFP 1 (5) 94 68.1 95 1146

Results Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃ (1).

35.7 mg, 95%, H NMR (800 MHz, D₂O): δ 5.17 (d, J=4.0 Hz, 1H), 4.62 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.21 (dd, J=13.6 and 6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.12 (t, J=9.6 Hz, 1H), 3.84-3.42 (m, 19H), 2.04 (s, 3H), 1.87 (m, 2H), 1.19 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 3H); ¹³C NMR (200 MHz, D₂O): δ 173.52, 101.91, 99.14, 96.63, 76.09, 74.89, 73.90, 73.39, 71.71, 70.43, 69.46, 68.95, 67.94, 66.68, 64.64, 62.55, 61.08, 60.82, 49.41, 48.01, 27.91, 21.78, 15.26. HRMS (ESI) m/z calculated for C₂₃H₄₀N₄NaO₁₅ (M+Na) 635.2388, found 635.2383.

Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃ (2).

43.8 mg, 98%, ¹H NMR (800 MHz, D₂O): δ 5.21 (d, J=4.8 Hz, 1H), 4.59 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.31 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.21 (dd, J=13.6 and 7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.08 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 3.97-3.58 (m, 16H), 3.34 (m, 2H), 2.04 (s, 3H), 1.81 (m, 2H), 1.19 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 3H); ¹³C NMR (200 MHz, D₂O): δ 173.58, 102.54, 101.95, 99.08, 76.48, 75.88, 74.94, 74.67, 73.43, 71.66, 69.39, 68.99, 68.38, 67.90, 66.86, 66.68, 60.86, 60.82, 51.29, 47.61, 28.07, 22.14, 15.14. HRMS (ESI) m/z calculated for C₂₃H₄₀N₄NaO₁₅ (M+Na) 635.2388, found 635.2395.

Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃ (3).

51.3 mg, 95%, ¹H NMR (800 MHz, D₂O): δ 5.21 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 4.85 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 4.62 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.21 (dd, J=13.6 and 6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.17-3.41 (m, 19H), 2.03 (s, 3H), 1.87 (m, 2H), 1.18 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 3H); ¹³C NMR (200 MHz, D₂O): δ 173.54, 100.12, 99.36, 96.82, 76.48, 75.27, 74.89, 73.38, 71.71, 71.48, 69.38, 69.03, 68.54, 67.91, 66.37, 64.77, 60.96, 60.31, 53.25, 48.03, 27.91, 21.72, 15.19. HRMS (ESI) m/z calculated for C₂₃H₄₀N₄NaO₁₅ (M+Na) 635.2388, found 635.2391.

Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃ (4).

50.5 mg, 96%, ¹H NMR (800 MHz, D₂O): δ 5.16 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 4.62 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.40 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.27-3.32 (m, 20H), 2.05 (s, 3H), 1.81 (m, 2H), 1.20 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 3H); ¹³C NMR (200 MHz, D₂O): ⋅ 173.55, 101.66, 100.07, 99.37, 77.11, 76.51, 75.29, 74.93, 73.32, 71.66, 69.29, 69.00, 68.61, 67.91, 66.97, 66.37, 61.03, 60.55, 54.73, 47.61, 28.04, 22.06, 15.07. HRMS (ESI) m/z calculated for C₂₃H₄₀N₄NaO₁₅ (M+Na) 635.2388, found 635.2393.

Methods

The synthetic application of Te2FT was explored in another efficient one-pot three-enzyme (OP3E) fucosylation system (FIG. 9) for synthesizing a human milk oligosaccharide (HMOS). In this system, recombinant bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase from Bacteroides fragilis strain NCTC9343 (BfFKP)^([24]) was used for catalyzing the formation of GDP-fucose from fucose, adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP), and guanidine 5′-triphosphate (GTP) to provide the donor substrate for Te2FT. Pasteurella multocida inorganic pyrophosphatase (PmPpA)^([25]) was used to break down the pyrophosphate by-product to shift the reaction towards the formation of GDP-fucose. As shown in Table 2, the OP3E fucosylation of β1-3-linked galactosides was successfully accomplished with a 94% yield to produce the desired HMOS. NMR and HRMS analyses were carried out to confirm the identify and the purity of the product.

Results

Human milk tetrasaccharide lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) (Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ1-3 Galβ1-4Glc) was also an excellent acceptor for His₆-Te2FT and the OP3E synthesis of Fucα1-2LNT (5), a human milk pentasaccharide also known as lacto-N-fucopentaose I (LNFP I), was achieved in a preparative scale (68.1 mg) with an excellent 94% yield.

Fucα1-2LNT or LNFP I (5).

68.1 mg, 94% and 1.146 g, 95%, ¹H NMR (800 MHz, D₂O): δ 5.19 (d, J=4.0 Hz, 0.4H), 5.17 (d, J=4.0 Hz, 1H), 4.64 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 0.6H), 4.62 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.60 (dd, J=8.0 and 2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.40 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.26 (dd, J=13.6 and 6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.15 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 3.98-3.24 (m, 26H), 2.03 (s, 3H), 1.21 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 3H); ¹³C NMR (200 MHz, D₂O): δ 174.13, 103.11, 102.82, 102.78, 100.12, 99.39, 95.60, 91.68, 81.43, 81.40, 78.06, 77.98, 77.00, 76.54, 75.11, 74.93, 74.69, 74.19, 73.65, 73.35, 71.72, 71.24, 70.99, 70.10, 70.07, 70.02, 69.29, 68.99, 68.49, 68.47, 68.33, 67.91, 66.36, 61.02, 60.83, 60.25, 59.92, 59.79, 54.84, 22.00, 15.13. HRMS (ESI) m/z calculated for C₃₂H₅₅NnaO₂₅ (M+Na) 876.2961, found 876.2959.

Example 9 Gram-Scale Synthesis of Fucα1-2LNT (LNFP I) (Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4Glc) Methods

Lacto-N-tetraose (LNT, 1 g), L-fucose (1.5 equiv.), ATP (1.5 equiv.), and GTP (1.5 equiv.) were dissolved in Tris-HCl buffer (140 mL, 100 mM, pH 7.0) containing MgCl₂ (20 mM) and appropriate amounts of a recombinant L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase (FKP, 30 mg), Pasteurella multocida inorganic pyrophosphatase (PmPpA, 30 mg), and His₆-Te2FT (25-30 mg). The reactions were incubated in an incubator shaker at 37° C. for 1-2 days with agitation at 100 rpm. The product formation was monitored by mass spectrometry and thin layer chromatography (TLC). When an optimal yield was achieved, the reaction was stopped by adding the same volume of cold ethanol (EtOH) and kept at 4° C. for 30 min. The mixture was then centrifuged at 7000 rpm for 30 minutes and the precipitates were removed. The supernatant was concentrated, passed through a BioGel P-2 gel filtration column, and eluted with water to obtain partially purified product.

A silica gel column was used for further purification of LNFP-I using EtOAc:MeOH:H₂O=5:3:2 (by volume) as the mobile phase. The obtained LNFP I sample was further purified used activated charcoal. To a 50 mL centrifuge tube, 2 g of charcoal were added. Ethanol (absolute ethanol or 90%+ ethanol) (30 mL) was added to the tube and it was mixed thoroughly by inverting the tube. The tube was centrifuged at 12,000 rpm for 30 min and the supernatant was decanted. The process was repeated once. Water (30 mL) was added to tube and it was mixed thoroughly by inverting the tube followed by centrifugation for 30 min and supernatant was decanted. The tube was left at room temperature for 30 min in a fume hood to evaporate any residual of ethanol. Crude LNFP I (100 mg) was added to tube with 30 mL of water and the tube was mixed thoroughly. The tube was then put into a shaker with agitation (100 rpm) for 1-2 h at 37° C. The tube was centrifuged at 12,000 rpm for 30 min to spin down the charcoal and the supernatant was discarded by decanting. Finally, 50% methanol (30 mL) was added to tube and it was mixed thoroughly by inverting the tube followed by centrifugation at 12,000 rpm for 30 min. The supernatant was collected and passed through a paper filter to remove any charcoal particles. The process was repeated. The filtered solution was combined and lyophilized to produce pure LNFP I as a white solid with an excellent yield of 95%. NMR and HRMS analyses were carried out to confirm the identify and the purity of the product.

Results

Pure LNFP I in an amount of 1.146 gram was successfully obtained with an excellent 95% yield. It should be noted that the purification of the product in the gram-scale synthesis of LNFP I was greatly simplified by using activated charcoal which was very efficient in removing nucleotides in the reaction mixtures. Due to the complete consumption of the acceptor LNT in the reaction mixture, separating the pentasaccharide product from other components with smaller molecular weights was conveniently done by a gel filtration column which served similarly as desalting. In a second attempt using the one-pot three enzyme synthesis system, the amount of pure LNFP I obtained was 8 grams, thereby demonstrating the large scale synthesis of LNFP I via the OPME system disclosed herein.

Example 10

Growth of B. infantis 15697 and B. animalis 27536 on Medium Supplemented with Glucose (Glc), Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOS), and LNFP I.

Methods

B. infantis 15697 and B. animalis 27536 were tested for growth in the presence of glucose, HMOS, and LNFP I. Growth assays were performed as previously described.^([35]) Briefly, two microliters of each resulting overnight culture was used to inoculate 150 μL of modified MRS medium (mMRS), devoid of glucose and supplemented with 2% (wt/vol) of each sterile-filtered substrate as the sole carbohydrate source. The medium was supplemented with 0.05% (wt/vol) 1-cysteine, and in all the cases the cultures in the wells of the microtiter plates were covered with 30 μL of sterile mineral oil to avoid evaporation. The incubations were carried out at 37° C. in an anaerobic chamber (Coy Laboratory Products). Cell growth was monitored in real time by assessing optical density at 600 nm (OD600) using a BioTek PowerWave 340 plate reader (BioTek, Winoosky, Vt.) every 30 min, preceded by 30 seconds of shaking at variable speed. Two biological replicates and three technical replicates each were performed for every strain. Fermentations were carried out in triplicate.

Results

LNFP I was identified in 1956 as one of the HMOS structures.^([26]) It is missing in the milk of Le^(a+b−) non-secretors,^([9]) otherwisely it is an abundant HMOS species (1.2-1.7 g/liter) in pooled human milk.^([3c]) It is not presented in the milk or the colostrum of cows,^([27]) pigs,^([28]) or other domestic animals.^([27]) Therefore it is not readily accessible from natural sources by purification. Chemical synthesis of LNFP I with a β-linked pentanylamino aglycon from a protected tetrasaccharide precursor obtained by a one-pot chemical synthetic procedure was achieved in four steps with 49% yield.^([29]) LNFP I was also synthesized from LNT and GDP-fucose using a recombinant human FUT1 expressed in a baculovirus system (3.0 mg, 71% yield) ^([30]) and in whole-cell recombinant E. coli expressing HpFutC (59.4 mg). The facile synthesis of lacto-N-fucopentaose I (LNFP I) is therefore of significant commercial importance. The OP3E system presented here is a more efficient and an economically feasible approach for large-scale production of LNFP I and allows downstream investigation of its potential prebiotic application.

The ability of LNFP I in serving as the sole carbon source for the growth of bifidobacteria was examined. Media containing HMOS (a mixture of oligosaccharides isolated from human milk)^([31]) or glucose were used as controls. Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (B. infantis) ATCC 15697 grew well on LNFP I and HMOS with a similar pattern which was remarkably faster than its growth on glucose (FIG. 11). To establish specificity, LNFP I was tested for its ability to support the growth of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (B. lactis) ATCC 27536, a subspecies that did not grow on HMOS.^([32]) B. lactis failed to grow on either LNFP I or HMOS, while it showed a similar growth pattern to B. infantis in the presence of glucose (FIG. 11B). Selective growth of B. infantis on a specific fucosylated HMOS species like LNFP I provides a molecular rationale for the unique enrichment of B. infantis and other infant-borne bifidobacteria in the nursing infant gastrointestinal tract by breastfeeding.^([33])

In conclusion, Te2FT with a good recombinant expression level and high activity is an important tool for large-scale enzymatic synthesis of various biologically important α1-2-fucosides. We demonstrated that a one-pot multienzyme (OPME) fucosylation system is a highly effective system for chemoenzymatic and enzymatic synthesis of fucosides. The gram-scale synthesis of fucosylated human milk oligosaccharide LNFP I allowed the performance of bacteria growth study which showed that LNFP I was selectively consumed as a carbon source by B. infantis but not B. lactis. Therefore, LNFP I is a potential prebiotic candidate for further development.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, one of skill in the art will appreciate that certain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. In addition, each reference provided herein is incorporated by reference in its entirety to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference.

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What is claimed is:
 1. A reaction mixture comprising: (i) an α1-2-fucosyltransferase enzyme having a sequence identity of at least about 62% to the α1-2-fucosyltransferase of SEQ ID NO:1 (Te2FT); and (ii) a bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme, or a inorganic pyrophosphatase enzyme, or the combination thereof.
 2. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the enzyme of (i) has a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO:1.
 3. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the enzyme of (i) is heterologous with respect to the enzyme(s) of (ii).
 4. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture comprises the α1-2-fucosyltransferase, the bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase, and the inorganic pyrophosphatase enzyme.
 5. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme is BfFKP from Bacteroides fragilis strain NCTC9343.
 6. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the inorganic pyrophosphatase enzyme is PmPpA from Pasteurella multocida.
 7. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises guanidine 5′-diphosphate-fucose (GDP-Fucose).
 8. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ2AA, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ2AA, or Galβ1-4Glcβ2AA.
 9. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises Galβ1-3GlcNAcβOR, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαOR, Galβ1-3GalNAcαOR, or Galβ1-3GalNAcβOR.
 10. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃ or lacto-N-tetraose.
 11. A method of making an α1-2-linked fucoside, the method comprising: (i) incubating a reaction mixture of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises an acceptor under conditions suitable to form the α1-2-linked fucoside.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the acceptor is a β1-3 acceptor selected from the group consisting of Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃, Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, and Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the acceptor is lacto-N-tetraose.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the α1-2-linked fucoside is a human blood group H antigen or lacto-N-fucopentaose I.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the α1-2-linked fucoside is a α1-2-fucosylated β1-3 linked galactoside.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the α1-2-linked fucoside is selected from the group consisting of Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN₃, Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GlcNAcαProN₃, Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN₃, and Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN₃.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the α1-2-linked fucoside is lacto-N-fucopentaose I.
 18. An expression cassette comprising a heterologous promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding an α1-2-fucosyltransferase, wherein: the α1-2-fucosyltransferase has a sequence identity of at least about 62% to SEQ ID NO:1.
 19. The expression casette of claim 18, wherein the α1-2-fucosyltransferase has a sequence identity of at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%, or is identical to SEQ ID NO:1.
 20. The expression casette of claim 18, wherein the α1-2-fucosyltransferase comprises high α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity and low donor hydrolysis activity.
 21. The expression casette of claim 20, wherein the α1-2-fucosyltransferase comprises an enzyme having an α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity that is at least 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, or 5-fold more than the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity of GST-WbsJ, His₆Prop-WgbL, and Hp2FT, and wherein the α1-2-fucosyltransferase activity is measured as the K_(cat) value for GDP-fucose.
 22. A host cell comprising the expression cassette of any one of claims 18-21.
 23. A method of making an α1-2-fucosyltransferase, the method comprising: incubating the host cell of claim 22 in culture media under conditions suitable for producing the α1-2-fucosyltransferase; and isolating the α1-2-fucosyltransferase from the host cell or spent media. 